Belpre’s late surge secures victory
By: Eli Baxter
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BELPRE, Ohio (WOUB) — The Eastern Eagles (5-11, 2-4) failed to finish a close battle against the Belpre Golden Eagles (7-6, 4-3) in a Friday night TVC-Hocking shootout. Belpre’s Junior guard, Malik Currie dominated both sides of the ball to lead Belpre to a 57-55 victory.
Eastern got off to a hot start in the first quarter thanks to Senior Colton Lloyd’s ability to get to the line but still trailed 17-13 after the first quarter. Lloyd led the Eagles with 10 points, which included four free throws.
Eastern was able to close their deficit early in the second quarter and eventually took the lead. Though, Currie’s hot hand gave the home squad the lead heading into the break after a three-point buzzer-beater. Currie already put 18 points on the board for the Golden Eagles by the end of the half. The rest of the Belpre squad tallied 14 points as Belpre held a 32-30 advantage.
Head Coach Greg Lloyd wanted to make sure his Eastern squad got off to a hot start to the second half. Eastern did just that as they were able to take a nine-point lead which was the largest of the game for either team. The Eagle’s defense was able to slow down the production from Currie in the third quarter and held him to just four points.
It was a different story in the final eight minutes for Belpre as Currie lit up the court. Currie finished the game with 31 points and scored more than half of the Golden Eagles points. Currie not only was able to score with the ball in his hand but also was able to create second-chance points. Currie also led the game with eight total rebounds and assisted three buckets for the Golden Eagles.
Even though the game was dominated by Currie, the Belpre defense was locked down. They were able to force eleven turnovers from the Eastern offense and were able to get multiple late critical calls their way.
Eastern will be back on the road next Tuesday when they head to face non-conference opponent, Point Pleasant. Point Pleasant has struggled so far this season with only one win and seven losses. Point Pleasant faces Lincoln County tomorrow before they host the Eagles.