FRANKLIN — The Eaton Eagle girls’ basketball program saw a 31-game conference win streak come to a halt on Saturday, Nov. 28, as the team fell to Franklin, 47-35.
The Eagles shot just 26.5 percent from the field and turned the ball over 26 times in route to defeat, and the team was unable to find offensive rhythm in the game.
Afterward, head coach Dave Honhart talked about his team’s inability to take care of the basketball.
“It’s ball handling, it’s decision making, it’s all that,” he said. “We have to take care of the ball and we have to get good shots on the majority of our possessions.”
Foul trouble also plagued the Eagles, as seniors Brittany George and Julia Titus both fouled out of the contest which Honhart said he believed led to fatigue at the end of the game.
Franklin freshman Lanye Ferrell scored 22 points and grabbed six rebounds while shooting 8-8 from the free throw line. “She’s going to be phenomenal player over the next four years,” Honhart said of the 6’1” freshman guard. “She is the real deal. She found her rhythm late in the second quarter when she had a deep three and from there she played really well.”
Ferrell also recorded five steals and five blocks in the contest to help lead the Wildcats’ defensive efforts.
Franklin struggled from the field as well, shooting just 30 percent for the game, but made 18-26 free three attempts compared to just 7-19 for the Eagles, including 1-8 in the fourth quarter.
“We were dreadful to start the year at the free throw line,” Honhart said. ” We do a drill and shoot-around before every game and ironically Saturday morning we reached our goal very quickly, so I believe we are still improving.”
Titus led the Eagles in scoring and rebounding, totaling 13 points and pulling down nine rebounds.
Sidney Lamberson scored eight points, and also added four rebounds and assists and tallied five steals in the game.
Bailee Worley scored five points off the bench for the Eagles as the only non-starter to score.
Honhart also talked about the 31-game winning streak which came to an end.
“It’s a special thing to be a part of,” he said, pointing out he doesn’t believe his team needs to go undefeated to win the league., “I think a team with two or three losses will win the league and we are capable of being in the mix — but we have to get serious about taking care of the ball on offense.”
The Eagles play Bellbrook at home on Thursday, Dec. 3, before traveling to Monroe on Saturday, Dec. 5. They then host county foe Tri-County North on Monday, Dec. 7.
