Sports
Guthrie Sparks Eastern Comeback
By: Zoe Stitzer
Posted on:
Midway through the third, Eastern was down by two points when sophomore starter Ashton Guthrie had a breakaway 3-pointer that tied the game. Eastern, who had been trailing Belpre consistently all game, rejoined the game with a new intensity, immediately stole the ball, and gave it to Guthrie who sunk another three. In 30 seconds, Eastern stole the lead and found the momentum to run with it all the way to the end.
The Eastern Lady Eagles defeated Belpre on Monday night, 34-29.
“She did a great job with setting her feet and hitting those shots. She helped us propel forward and hit the dagger,” Eastern head coach Jacob Parker said.
Eastern had a slow start after losing the tip. At the end of the first quarter, they had just one point on the scoreboard.
“Belpre came out fired up and ready to play. They played a great game so kudos to them. It took us a little longer to find what we were doing,” Parker said.
Eastern’s first made basket from the field came at the beginning of the second quarter. They quickly shook off the first quarter and closed the gap. They dominated time of possession within the quarter and forced Belpre to go into the bonus.
Even with their newfound confidence, they couldn’t hold the lead at the end of the half. Kyna Waderker overtook Eastern by one point in the middle of the quarter, and she scored another basket before the quarter ended to give the Lady Golden Eagles a 3-point lead heading into the break.
Still working off of the energy from Guthrie, Alyson Bailey scored six quick points at the beginning of the fourth quarter, securing Eastern’s lead. Bailey was the top scorer for Eastern with 12 points, and also led the team in steals with three.
Eastern slowed the game down in the fourth quarter and found more success in setting up their offense. They would hold the lead for the remainder of the game.
The Lady Eagles (9-4,9-1) will travel to Wahama on Thursday to face the Lady White Falcons.