The Buckeyes’ season ends in the first round
By: Sam Nolan
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WINCHESTER, Ohio (WOUB) – The Nelsonville-York Buckeyes traveled two hours west for their playoff opener against the Eastern (Brown) Warriors on Tuesday night. The Warriors ran away with it late, winning 62-38.
Despite the final, Nelsonville-York was off to a hot start, scoring 19 of their 38 total in just the first quarter. The Buckeyes held a 19-16 lead after one, but the tides completely turned from that point on.
The Warriors claimed a safe 30-26 lead going into the half, holding Nelsonville-York to just seven in that second quarter. Not much would change from here, as the Buckeyes were limited to 12 points in the whole second half.
Conversely, Eastern put up 32 the rest of the way; their ability to force turnovers into points allowed the gap to become too big as early as the third quarter. Braxton Vance led the Warrior offense, with 16 on the night.
This made it a blowout 62-38 win for Eastern – but Buckeyes Coach Blaine Gabriel didn’t want his boys to hang their heads on the season’s end.
“I’m still very proud of our kids this year for everything we’ve accomplished,” said Gabriel.
This may end Nelsonville-York’s season, but they’re notably losing one player to graduation heading into next season – and lead scorer/rebounder Cam Sullivan will ramp up for a strong senior campaign.
For Eastern, they move on to the next round. They will face Zane Trace in the Convocation Center in Athens on March 2.