Hardwood Heroes

Our Ethan Sargeant breaks down the matchup between the Southern Tornadoes and Eastern Eagles on February 7th, 2023

Southern Tornadoes hold off Eastern Eagles in late season matchup coming down to the wire.

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Reedsville, Ohio (WOUB) – On this warm, rainy evening, the Southern Tornados traveled to Reedsville to take on the Eastern Eagles. Both teams are approaching tournament play and are looking to round out their respective seasons with a bang.

Tonight was especially special for Eastern, as they had senior night in their gym. The team honored their three seniors, Jace Bullington, Trey Hill, and Hayden Fick. Senior festivities took place at the end of the Junior Varsity game and included walkouts and short biographies of the three. 

The game began slowly, with messy shots from both ends of the court. The score at the end of the first quarter was just 7-6, with Southern taking the top. Eastern visibly dominated ball control at the beginning of the 8-minute period, but the later minutes brought time for Southern as they continued to outscore the Eagles. Freshman Ethan Edwards notably fought hard for his team, including diving into the wall to keep the ball in. The second quarter was much of the same, finishing with a score of 15-18, with the Tornadoes continuing to edge the Eagles out. 

The second half was a very different story for both teams, as the halftime score for each surpassed tripling by the end of the game. Southern kept dominance throughout the half, with the Eagles staying close behind at all points. Shots for each team got better, and Trey Hill sank four three-pointers in a row, keeping his team’s hopes for victory alive.

The score of the game continued to stay close as the match traveled into the last quarter. The Eastern boys kept with their pattern of fighting hard to the final second, as Trey Hill and Colton Lloyd’s consistent three-point shots kept Eastern close. The Eagles were down three points with 16 seconds to go in the game, and once it got down to it, 0.07 seconds. The Eastern boys were in need of a crucial rebound, but after a failed attempt for that and a last-minute buzzer-beater, the Tornadoes escaped the Eagle’s claws by a score of 53-50.