Huntsmen end Eagles hopes at playoff run
By: Eli Baxter
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CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (WOUB) — The Eastern Eagles (7-16) fell short in their first-round playoff bout against the Huntington Huntsmen (15-6) on Friday night. The Eagles Head Coach Greg Lloyd also finished his career with Eastern after two seasons at the helm.
Huntington came into this District Quarter-Final as the four-seed with a 15-6 record. Even with a near .750-win percentage on the season, their strength of schedule was not as strong. The Huntsmen had only beaten one team with a winning record this season.
From the tip, it was prominent that both squads were going to apply pressure on defense. With only 19 total points scored between the two teams, Eastern held the advantage at the first break by one. The second was nearly the same with a few lead changes sprinkled in, but the Eagles still found themselves on top, 19-18.
After the break, Huntington was able to take their biggest lead in the game at five points. Eastern would fight back and draw level with the Huntsmen. The third quarter ended with the home squad, Huntington, on top by three, 29-26. They were able to feed off of the crowd’s energy in the second on both sides of the ball as they forced numerous fouls.
The Huntsmen were able to continue this into the final buzzer as they took the victory, 43-34. They were led by Frankie Hirsch who tallied 16 points in the night. Sophomore Brennan Smith followed Hirsch with 10 on the night and shot 50 percent from behind the arc. Huntington will head to Waverly Downtown Arena on March 2, to face Eastern-Pike for a chance at a spot in the District Final.
Eastern-Pike is the five-seed and got their first-round win over Rock Hill, 56-51. The team was able to finish their 16-7 season with a Southern Ohio Conference title after an 8-2 conference record. They will begin their game against Huntington at 8 p.m.
For the Eagles, their season comes to an end. Next season, the team will be without all of their roster as eleven seniors will be graduating. In addition, Head Coach Greg Lloyd will pass the torch to new Head Coach Nick Hicks. Hicks, who coached the junior varsity team this year, will be familiar with most of his young squad next year. The Eagles finished their season 7-16 and fourth in the TVC-Hocking.