OXFORD — It was “Pack the Gym Week” at Talawanda High School last week as the Braves’ basketball teams played a pair of home games. Talawanda students were let into the games free to show support for the teams.
The Braves would split the two weekday games with the boys’ falling to Taylor on Tuesday, Dec. 6, and the girls defeating Eaton on Thursday. Both would play again on Saturday.
Talawanda boys play hard, but drop two
Talawanda’s boys’ team fell to 0-2 on the season with the loss to Taylor. The game was close throughout, but Taylor came away with a 64-59 win.
The Braves held the lead at halftime, 25-22, but were outscored in the third quarter, 20-14. Things stayed close in the final frame with Taylor holding on for the win.
Senior Justin Boggs led the Braves with 16 points. He also had seven rebounds and three steals. Evan James added 14 points and had six rebounds and four assists. Ty Hornsby scored eight points and pulled down seven rebounds.
The boys’ squad travelled to Franklin on Saturday and lost to the Wildcats, 65-56. Talawanda jumped out to an early lead and held a 12-6 advantage at the end of the first quarter. However, the Braves were outscored 24-9 in the second period and trailed by nine at halftime.
Talawanda kept pace with Franklin in the second half, with both teams scoring 35 points. But, the Braves were not able to make up the halftime deficit.
Talawanda was led by James and Boggs, both with 19 points – both season highs. Boggs added eight rebounds. Andrew O’Donnel also pulled down eight boards.
Talawanda will open Southwest Ohio Conference play on Friday, Dec. 16, hosting Little Miami. They will then host Eaton on the following Tuesday.
Lady Braves open SWOC schedule with win, now 4-1
The Lady Braves pushed their overall record to 4-1 and picked up their first SWOC win against Little Miami on Saturday, Dec. 10. The Lady Panthers were unbeaten at 4-0 coming into the game, including two recent wins scoring 70+ points.
“It was a close, hard-fought game between two of the top-rated teams in the Southwest Ohio Conference,” Talawanda coach Tom Head stated.
The game stayed close throughout the first half with Talawanda trailing by two points at the end of the first quarter – and going into the locker room up 25-24. The Lady Braves increased their lead in the third quarter, leading 44-38. Talawanda put the game away in the final period and came away with a 61-50 win.
Talawanda had four players score double-figures in the win, two with double-doubles. Addie Brown led the team with 16 points, followed by Emma Wright with 15. Wright also collected 11 rebounds.
Katlynn Woodruff also had a double-double with 11 points and a season-high 19 rebounds. Hannah Hurst added 11 points and had four assists and five steals.
Earlier in the week, Talawanda hosted Eaton on Thursday and came away with a 45-37 win. The Lady Braves slowly built a lead in the first half and used that advantage to come away with the victory.
Talawanda led by six at the end of the first period, 14-8. They were able to double that lead by halftime, 27-15. The first half advantage would be the key to the game for Talawanda, as Eaton actually outscored them in the second half, 22-18, but could not overcome the deficit.
Both teams struggled offensively in the third period, scoring five points each.
Brown led Talawanda with 19 points and also had eight rebounds. Wright added 14 points and had seven assists and seven steals. Woodruff pulled down 12 rebounds, her third game this season with double-digit boards.
Talawanda will travel to Indian Hill on Monday, Dec. 12, for a non-SWOC game. They will host Harrison on the following Saturday in SWOC action.
