Eastern still in search of first win
By: Luke Davis
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REEDSVILLE, Ohio (WOUB) — The Eastern Eagles battled the visiting Waterford Wildcats in The Nest Friday night, falling in a heartbreaker, 57-50.
Eastern started out slow, trailing Waterford 15-7 at the end of the first quarter, with Senior guard Colton Lloyd accounting for four of the seven. The second quarter wouldn’t see much improvement, as they were outscored 13-2 and went into halftime trailing 28-9.
At halftime, Coach Greg Lloyd delivered a game-changing speech, firing up the Eagles to a 20-point third quarter, cutting the Wildcat lead to eight.
Eastern’s defense picked up the tempo, forcing steals and turnovers all over the court. As tensions started to flare, the game became more physical and chippy. “I love a chippy game,” said Lloyd. Waterford Head Coach DJ Cunningham, on the flipside, said, “We don’t do the extracurriculars. We just walk away.”
The Eagles entered the final frame with momentum but couldn’t capitalize. A string of clutch free throws down the stretch sealed the victory for the Wildcats.
Eastern was led in scoring by Colton Lloyd with 19, while adding three assists and a steal. Derrick Barnes and Ethan Edwards both chipped in seven, while Sam Balch added six of his own.
For Waterford Finn Pennock, led all scorers with 21, and Reese Lang wasn’t far behind him with 14, including going nine for 10 from the free throw line.
The Eagles are back in action on Dec 6, traveling to Fort Frye still in search of their first win of the year. Waterford has to wait until December 11 to get their shot at Southern, coming into their home court.