Sports
Richmond Hits Game-Winner To Grab Eastern’s First Win Of The Season
< < Back to richmond-hits-game-winner-grab-easterns-first-win-seasonAfter Eastern guard Cam Richmond hit the back end of a pair of free throws to tie the score at 46-all with 1:08 remaining, the Eastern-faithful were prepared for a dramatic finish in the Eagles Nest.
And Richmond was on-hand to deliver, as the guard drove to the lane and hit the game-winning layup to send the Eastern fans into a frenzy and hand the Eagles their first win of the season 48-46 over the Miller White Falcons.
“We’re going to focus on this win for about 12 hours,” coach Jeremy Hill said. “And tomorrow we are going to start focusing on what it’ll take to get another one.
“Last year we didn’t get very many of them, but the kids enjoyed the taste of it. They like the feeling of it much better. So we’re going to build on it one practice at a time.”
The win sees Eastern halve their total wins from last season and Hill and the Eagles (1-1) will look most likely back at the game with fond memories. But they will also look at it for signs on how to improve in the future.
Many of the Eagles problems were self-generated, as 11 turnovers and lack of a strong rebounding presence doomed Eastern for much of the first half.
But every time the Eagles dug themselves into a seemingly inescapable hole, senior forward Christian Speelman and junior forward Dillon Swatzel were on hand to drag their team back into it in the first half.
Eastern started the third quarter well, but the two forwards couldn’t do much to disrupt the 11-0 run that the White Falcons went on into the final eight minutes.
Speelman and Swatzel were more effective in the last quarter, as they used second-chance points and some post-moves to bring their team back into it. And with the game on the line, the Eagles decided to put it into the hands of someone who had been cold all night.
When Richmond was sent to the line, there were quite a few anxious looks in the gym. And after Richmond missed the first free throw, many appeared even more nervous, but the guard nailed the second to give his team a chance to grab the win.
A steal by Jett Facemyer on the impending in-bound pass by the White Falcons after Richmond’s free throw saw the Eagles take the ball once again. After a couple timeouts, Hill called a play for Richmond, who had only hit one shot up to that point.
As the buzzer sounded and the crowd rose to its feet to cheer for the Eagles, the crowd’s contribution to the night felt special not only for Richmond, but for Hill as well.
“I want to give a shout out to the community,” Hill said. “Tonight. A school night. A parent-teacher conference night. So not as many were out, but the ones that were here supported us and we hope we gave they can go home with and be proud of.”
Hills and the boys will look to equal their win total from last year when they travel to Belpre on Dec. 12.