Hardwood Heroes Sports
Eagles Fall to South Gallia Despite Late-Game Push
By: David Butz
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REEDSVILLE, Ohio- Friday night’s showdown in Reedsville between the Eagles and Rebels, gave fans a back-and-forth thriller all the way down to the wire.
After overcoming a four point halftime deficit, South Gallia would enter the final period up 36-27. A 10-2 run late in the quarter created by Eastern would narrow the deficit. However, the comeback bid would fall just short, with South Gallia taking the slim 46-43 victory.
The themes of the game were apparent from the tip. Turnovers and fouls from wire-to-wire produced an old school style of play. The quick pace of play lent itself well with the defensive intensity that was on display from both teams.
With both squads producing more than fifteen turnovers, the few impactful scorers of the night were forced to earn every bucket.
The difference makers on the offensive end for South Gallia include the talented duo of Brayden Hammond and Jared Burdette. Hammond’s 11 points lead the rebels in scoring, and Burdette’s ten-point outing included a pair of clutch triples to temper the Rebels’ struggles from behind the arc.
Meanwhile for the Eagles, Trevor Morrisey’s 13 point performance led both teams in scoring. South Galia’s tough defense also held Garret Barringer to just eight points, and the dynamic scorer will certainly look to put tonight’s loss behind him and his team.
Maybe not the entire game, however. As the Eagles were certainly the team who stole momentum early. South Gallia spent nearly the entire opening period scoreless until a Jaxxin Mabe jumper with seven seconds remaining in the quarter created a hard-nosed 7-2 score entering the second.
This tight win will take coach Kwolfe’s Rebels team to a perfect 2-0 mark as they look onto their matchup with the Trimble Tomcats. The Eagles on the other hand, drop to an underwhelming 0-2 start on the season.
Those two losses by a combined margin of only twelve points, speak to this teams’ fight to start the season, as well as their capabilities to right the ship. No matter the adjustments needed, Coach Kight certainly trusts his guys to take the positives from tonight, with the negatives.