Eastern outlasts Trimble in final seconds
By: Evan Johnson
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REEDSVILLE, Ohio (WOUB) — Both teams were trying to gain momentum as the regular season comes to a close. After leading the entire second half, Eastern took the game over in the final two minutes. With the score tied at 61 with five seconds left, Sam Balch stole the ball and drew the foul. He hit the second free throw to secure the win 62-61.
Eastern returned to The Nest to host the Trimble Tomcats in a TVC-Hocking showdown. The Eagles were looking to get back on the winning side of things after they dropped their previous two games by a combined score of three points. In their first matchup against the Tomcats, Eastern won convincingly, 70-54.
Neither offense could miss to start the game. Eastern cashed in buckets on their first four possessions, but Trimble was matching every shot. The Eagles led 13-11 halfway through the first period.
The hot offenses continued, and Trimble led 21-20 after the first eight minutes of play. Colton Lloyd was leading the charge for the Eagles with 10 of the team’s 20 points.
Even with the offenses cooling down, the intensity remained through the remainder of the first half. While the Eastern defense was aggressive, they had no answer for Trimble’s Brady Jajczyk. He took control of the offense, putting up 18 points and leading the Tomcats to a 38-31 halftime lead.
The intensity did not slow down in the second half. Each team continued to trade blows, but it was Eastern who gained the momentum at the end of the third quarter. Lloyd hit a big three in the final seconds, but Eastern still trailed 52-50 heading into the final period.
The game remained within one score for nearly the entire fourth quarter. With only two minutes left on the clock, the Eagles claimed the lead for the first time since the second quarter.
With five seconds left on the clock, chaos ensued. Trimble inbounded the ball, and it was immediately stolen by Eastern’s Sam Balch. Balch missed the layup but was fouled with 0.1 seconds left. He missed the first free throw, and with the game on the line, he drained the second shot to win the game 62-61.
Eastern escapes with a victory and will now play Federal Hocking on Jan. 30.
Despite the loss, Jajczyk led the game with 31 points, and the Tomcats will look to rebound against Waterford also on Jan. 30.