
Eastern cruises to victory with 28-point performance from Gavin Murphy
By: Evan Johnson
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STEWART, Ohio (WOUB) — The Federal Hocking Lancers (3-14, 0-7) hosted the Eastern Eagles (11-8, 5-2) in a TVC-Hocking showdown. With only two weeks of the regular season left, every game means that much more. Eastern lost a 13-point lead in the first half, but it was all Eagles in the second half. They dominated in all aspects of the game, giving them a victory of 74-44.
Coming into the match the Eagles still held hopes of a TVC-Hocking title. They have to win out to have a chance of sharing the conference title or even winning outright. For Federal Hocking, they were still looking for their first conference win of the season. But the record is deceiving, as of recently the Lancers have played teams close only losing to Belpre by three points, just a week prior.
The Eagles set the tempo early, showcasing their run-and-gun offensive philosophy, they were able to create offensive success in transition. After grabbing a rebound on a missed Lancer shot, Eastern always had a man down court open and ready for the pass. They did this several times in the first quarter which gave them a 17-4 lead.
Colton Lloyd has been the Eagles top scorer all season, and there was no difference in this game, as he had 10 points in just the first quarter.
Another problem for Federal Hocking was in the paint. They allowed the Eagles to constantly get second chance points. In just the first period Gavin Murphy grabbed eight boards for the Eagles.
The script started to flip in the second quarter, the Lancers started on a six-point run, including a possession that had four offensive rebounds. The offense found life and was able to bring the lead back within single digits.
Federal Hocking’s Wren Ballew took the final shot of the first half. He grabbed the offensive rebound and put up a jumper from the elbow with two seconds on the clock. His made shot brought the Lancers back into the game only trailing 24-22 after two quarters.
It was a back-and-forth battle to start the second half. The Eagles desperately needed someone to step up after Lloyd went cold after the first quarter. Derrick Barnes stepped into that role, whenever they needed a big shot, he delivered. His four made threes helped give Eastern a double-digit lead again.
The quarter ended with the Eagles up 52-39. It was a full team effort, after the third period three Eastern players had recorded 12 or more points.
After taking the lead Eastern had no intentions of giving it back, something they have struggled with in the past. They were able to score whenever they wanted, they dominated the paint scoring most of their points there. When they missed, they almost always grabbed the rebound for second chance points.
The duo of Colton Lloyd and Gavin Murphy was unstoppable. They put up and incredible fourth quarter. Gavin Murphy ended his night with 28 points and 20 rebounds. While his counterpart Colton Lloyd dropped 22 points of his own.
“He played discipline basketball tonight; he played within his game” says Eastern Head Coach Greg Lloyd about Gavin Murphy’s performance.
Eastern still holds on to a chance of winning a TVC Hocking title after beating Federal Hocking 74-44.
The Lancers will travel to Waterford on Thursday in hopes of getting their first conference win.
Eastern has another crucial conference game with Trimble on Friday in the Nest.