The Eastern Eagles and Southern Tornadoes tip off in a late season conference matchup

Tornadoes sweep Eagles in overtime thriller

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MEIGS, OH (WOUB)- The Eastern Eagles hosted the Southern Tornadoes for an in-conference match up. This was the first time these two teams faced each other this season and it was a hard-fought battle. The tornadoes ended up sweeping away with the win. Beating the Eagles 64-61 after overtime.  

The Southern and Eastern fans packed the stands with high energy for this rivalry game. The Nest was decked out in Gold for “Turn it Gold” night in support of a fundraiser for cancer research and families that are battling cancer. Eastern was ranked third in the conference going into this game, while Southern was ranked first. The Eagles were hoping to push their way higher in the conference and the Tornadoes wanted to maintain their standing.  

Starting of the first quarter, junior starter Colton Lloyd quickly showed off his shot both in the paint and outside the paint. Lloyd was the leading scorer for the Eagles with a total of 24 points.  

The noticeable height difference between these two teams made it difficult for Southern to defend Eastern down low. This gave Eastern the opportunity to stay a few points ahead and maintain this majority of the game.  The Eagles won the first quarter 20-16 and Lloyd had 13 out of those 20 points.  

Going into the second quarter, multiple turnovers and fouls from the Eagles kept the score close. Both teams made mistakes on defense that led to two shooting fouls, one of them being a three-point opportunity. Easterns hard work was off the charts, they did not lack in ball movement on offense and were working the Tornadoes. Southern held the ball with a minute left. Sam Balch played lock down defense and stole the ball. Took the fast break and laid the ball in. Eagles took a slight lead 28-26. That’s how the half-ended eagles leading by one basket.  

Moving into the third quarter, Eastern’s moral continued to soar and intensity was still up. The Eagles were tiring out the Tornadoes defense but just weren’t able to land shots. Despite this, Southern continued to trail closely behind Eastern, and were not able to bridge the gap., Third quarter closed out, 45-42 Eagles.  

In the fourth quarter, the Eagles were not able to maintain their lead and the Tornadoes tied it up 47-47. Southerns energy was contagious, and the fans felt it too. They were chanting loudly, hyping the team up. Both teams had big 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter, right when it mattered most. The Eagles would drain a three and the Tornadoes would answer right back. This led to a 55-55 tie when the time ran out.  

Four minutes were added to the clock and overtime began. Southern came down and hit a big shot. Eastern would match these big plays, and this kept the pace fast. Points switching back and forth. In the end, the Eagles weren’t able to leave the gym with a win. The Tornadoes beat the Eagles 64-61. Coach Llyod emphasized, “It’s not how you start it’s how you finish in basketball.”  

Luckily, Eastern will have another opportunity to beat Southern later in the season on February 14th. Before then the Eagles play Tuesday at 7:30 at home against Point Pleasant.