Eastern dominates River Valley for fifth straight win
By: Evan Johnson
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REEDSVILLE, Ohio (WOUB) – After just one home game in nearly two months, the Eastern faithful were rewarded with a cross-conference battle between Eastern (14-5, 7-2) and River Valley (10-9, 6-4). The Eagles grabbed on to an early lead and never let it go, as they cruised to a 62-34 victory.
Coming into this game, there was not a lot at stake. It was revealed on Feb. 8, that Eastern has the one seed in the DVII Southeast District. The Eagles are also looking ahead to their game against Southern on Feb. 16. With a win, they will share the TVC-Hocking with Waterford. Despite playing a non-conference game this late in the season, it was still a great test for both squads.
River Valley has started to heat up, winning four of their last six games, but right out of the gates, it was all Eastern.
The Eagles quickly jumped out to a 19-11 lead after the first eight minutes. Eastern’s defense continued to make a big impact, as the Raiders struggled to get clean shots off.
The offense thrived off the aggressive defense, as Kyrstin Fackler and Mackenzie Robertson both were hitting shots from deep.
“Everyone gets after it, all nine girls. Every time they go on the floor, they know the expectation,” said Eastern Head Coach Hayden Plummer.
River Valley made some noise towards the end of the first half, thanks to Hailey Edwards for making some big shots. It was not enough as Eastern still led by 14 heading into the third quarter.
The Eagles kept their foot on the gas in the second half. Braelyn Simpson had a clear size advantage over the Raiders and ended the night with 19 rebounds.
Eastern continued to run up the score, winning their fifth straight game, 62-34.
Fackler had another impressive night, leading the game with 21 points. Junior Ashlynn Thomas also had a big impact on the game with 12 points.
“I don’t think people had high hopes for us coming into this year. Our girls had the mentality that they want to prove people wrong, and they have a little attitude to them,” said Plummer.
The Eagles will have another cross-conference matchup against Meigs on Feb. 12.
River Valley will look to get back on the winning side when they face off against Athens, also on Feb.12.