Hardwood Heroes Sports
Eagles Come Out of Reedsville With Slim Win Over Miller
By: Dylan Theisen
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REEDSVILLE, Ohio – Eastern enthusiasts filled their home gymnasium to watch the ardent Eagles, who sought a second consecutive win to follow their three-loss week. Though the visiting Miller Falcons posed a fair challenge, the Eagles stuck to their aggressive, bread-and-butter offense – going on to defeat the Falcons 50-46.
From the tipoff to the final buzzer, the momentum shifted in all directions. During just the first half, both teams went on scoring runs of more than ten uninterrupted points. Offensively, Eastern was propelled by senior Garret Barringer, who scored eight and assisted twice through the half. However, defensive credit is owed to Ryan Dill, responsible for three steals in those opening sixteen minutes.
The Eagles held a slim lead after halftime, and as play resumed, the game’s outcome would remain unclear due to recurring lead changes. The third quarter exhibited the emergence of another offensive trailblazer – Eastern senior Derrick Metheney – who sunk four consecutive baskets and tacked on two assists. Nonetheless, by the quarter’s end, the scoreboard read 33-33 with neither ball club holding onto the momentum.
In the final quarter, the Eagles pulled away early with twelve additional unanswered points. However, down but not out, the Falcons rallied to make it a four-point game. And after an and-one layup, the Eagles looked to be in hot water. Despite the pressure, the Falcons suffered one last turnover in the final seconds, and the game was sealed in Eastern’s favor.
“We had to grind it out; some things didn’t go our way, we had to keep our heads about us. But we always talk about grinding for 32 minutes and that [game] typifies what we preach to our kids every day in practice,” Eastern Eagles Head Coach David Kight said. “Miller is well coached, they’re going to play hard, they’re going to make shots […] I thought we responded well throughout the game when they made their runs at us.”
Barringer lead the Eagles in scoring with 18 points, followed by Metheney with nine. Now 7-9, they’ll play again at home this Friday as the Wahama White Falcons travel into Reedsville. Meanwhile, the Miller Falcons will travel to Glouster and take on the Trimble Tomcats, who currently lead the TVC-Hocking.