Sports
Lady Eagles Claw Their Way to Victory in Season Opener
By: Zach Paquette
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A scrappy, offensive showdown kept Thursday night’s girls’ basketball game between Miller and Eastern close from the opening tip.
The Eastern Lady Eagles hosted TVC-Hocking rival, Miller, in their opening game of the season. The emotion and physicality could be felt from the start as both teams combined for 11 fouls in the first quarter alone.
The Lady Eagles controlled the tempo of the game from the start as they provided a lot of full-court pressure to open the game, resulting in four first-half steals for Alyson Bailey. She added nine of her team-high 17 points in the first half as Eastern quickly jumped out to a 24-17 first-half lead.
The offense opened up for Miller in the second half as Ashley Spencer and Josie Crabtree were able to find a rhythm and put Miller back in the game. Spencer finished the game with a team-high 17 points and three steals, while Crabtree finished with eight points and six rebounds.
The slugfest that was the second half continued as both teams pushed the tempo, resulting in more loose balls and more fouls. Both teams suffered key injuries as Miller lost Haille Joseph to a knee injury. Unfortunately for Miller, she did not return to action.
For Eastern, Jess Parker had to exit the game for a short period of time due to cramping in her leg. She would quickly return to action, scoring five of her 11 points late in the fourth quarter when she checked back in. Parker also added five rebounds as the Lady Eagles held onto their lead despite a late Miller push.
Eastern’s Kelsey Casto iced the game for the Lady Eagles making four free throws in the final minute of the game, extending Eastern’s lead to six, as they would run away with it 50-44.
After the game, Jacob Parker, head coach for the Lady Eagles, was very impressed with his team’s effort throughout the game:
“It’s always great to come out on your home floor and win a close game like that” … “It was great to overcome that adversity late in the game when we lost our point guard [Jess Parker] and it will be a huge boost for us as a team.”
For the Lady Eagles, they hope to keep up their winning ways when they hit the road and take on Peebles on Saturday, December 1st.