NEW MADISON — Eaton’s boys’ basketball team split a pair of games at the Tri-Village Patriot Holiday Classic last week to stay even on the season at 4-4. The Eagles broke a four-game losing streak with a win over Tri-Village in the tournament consolation game.
Eaton opened the tournament with a disappointing overtime loss to Cincinnati Mariemont on Tuesday, Dec. 27. Eaton lost by two points in overtime, 49-47. The Eagles bounced back the next night with a convincing 55-38 win over the hosting Patriots.
Eaton jumped out to an early lead against Tri-Village, scoring 18 points in the first quarter. The Eagles continued the momentum in the second period and led at halftime, 28-15.
In the third, Eaton put the game out of reach with a 21-point effort, its best offensive quarter since the team’s previous win over Preble Shawnee in game three of the season.
The players reached double figures in the game, led by Jack Stewart who scored 13 points off the bench. Stewart was 5-for-9 shooting with three three-pointers.
Trevor Pittman added 12 points in the game. Danny Howard had a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. He also had three blocked shots in the game.
Eaton got off to a slow start in the game against Mariemont, but got back into the game and led 8-7 at the end of the first quarter. The contest stayed close throughout – 21-21 at halftime – 31-28 end of the third quarter – 42-42 at the end of regulation.
In the overtime, Mariemont outscored the Eagles, 7-5, to take the win. Eaton had a chance to tie or win in the last seconds, but a long shot missed the mark as time ran out.
Pittman led all scorers with 20 points and also pulled down 10 rebounds. He remains one of the top five scorers in the Southwestern Buckeye League, averaging 15.6 points per game. Donnie Nicodemus added eight points and had six boards. Nicodemus and Pittman were named to the all-tournament team.
Howard chipped in seven points and had 10 rebounds. He has had double-figures in rebounding in his last six games and leads the SWBL with a 10.6 average.
Eaton was scheduled to travel to Tippecanoe at Tuesday, Jan. 3, before returning to SWBL play. The Eagles will host Brookville on Friday, Jan. 6. The Blue Devils are 8-0 on the season and stand atop the Southwestern Division standings at 3-0. Franklin was also unbeaten on the season and 2-0 in league play going into Eaton’s next game on Jan. 3.