Tough week for Eaton’s boys, girls basketball teams

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EATON — Eaton’s boys and girls’ basketball teams each played a pair of league games last week going a combined 1-3.

The girls team experienced the highs of a big win and the lows of a disappointing loss, while the boys team suffered its first two losses of the season.

The girls bounced back from back-to-back losses from the previous week to defeat Middletown Madison 49-34 on Thursday, Dec. 8, but two days later the Lady Eagles suffered its first loss to Brookville in more than a decade, falling 33-30.

Against Madison, Eaton led 10-5 after the first quarter and 26-16 at the half. The Eagles extended their lead to 38-23 after three.

“This was a nice, hard-fought win over a divisional rival,” Coach Dave Honhart said. “As a team, I was very pleased with our defense. Madison is one of the better shooting teams in the league and we held them to 11 of 46 from the field and we turned them over 24 times.

Honhart said sophomore Olivia Orr provided the team with a spark

“Olivia Orr had a great game for us with 16 points on 7 for 10 shooting and 11 rebounds. We felt like we would have a mismatch with her, and we did a good job of getting her the ball, especially in the second half,” he said.

Charlee Ruebush hit back-to-back threes in the first half, which was a nice moment for her, Honart noted.

“She’s been working hard on her shooting, ball-handling and passing and it is nice to see that pay off. Lily Shepherd had six steals, which is great to see, as she is really becoming a force to be reckoned with at both ends.”

Lily Shepherd finished with eight points, six rebounds and six steals.

Olivia Baumann added six points, nine points, three assists and four steals.

Tai Mize contributed seven points and three steals.

The joy of that win didn’t last long as the Eagles feel to previously win-less Brookville.

Eaton fell behind 11-7 after the first quarter and trailed 27-13 at the half.

Despite holding the Blue Devils to just six points in the second half, Eaton couldn’t complete the comeback.

“This was a disappointing loss, as we felt it was a game that we could have won. Brookville certainly deserves credit for playing great defense all night and really making us struggle at the offensive end,” Honhart said. “They shared the ball nicely and had good shot selection. They went on a run in the last four minutes of the first half that wound up being the difference in the game. Early on we had a few defensive breakdowns, but most of their shots were well-contested.”

Despite the loss, Honhart said he was proud of his team for its continuous effort.

“I think it is a big credit to our players that we kept fighting,” he said. “It can be very discouraging when the ball just isn’t going in the basket, and you are struggling to create good shots for yourself. I thought we played incredibly hard in the last ten minutes and made our press work. I’m sure anyone watching us for the first time was asking why we weren’t pressing the whole game. Obviously, I should have gone to it sooner. Up until that point, anytime we had tried to press this season, it had kind of been a layup line for the other team. But we envisioned ourselves being a pressing, running, up tempo team when the season started, and hopefully we are now ready to start playing that kind of basketball and make it work.”

Honhart praised the play of Kendall Miller, Baumann and Shepherd.

“I thought Kendall Miller had a nice game driving to the basket and leading us with 9 points. Olivia Baumann had another strong game on the boards with ten rebounds, and Lily Shephard picked up four more steals on the defensive end,” he said. “Character is revealed through adversity, and I feel good about our team’s chances of bouncing back.”

Eaton, now 3-3 overall and 2-3 in the Southwestern Buckeye League, was scheduled to host Hamilton Ross on Monday, Dec. 12, then will travel to Valley View on Thursday, Dec. 15.

“Over the years, those have always been great games,” Honhart said of Ross. “They got us last year, so we’ll be looking to flip the script. On Thursday we go to Valley View. Cleary the division race on our side is wide open. League games matter a lot, and division games matter even more. It should be a fun competitive game.”

Eaton’s boys struggled in the second quarter against Bellbrook and never recovered as they lost for the first time this season, 75-55, on Tuesday, Dec. 6.

Trailing 19-17 after the first quarter, Eaton managed just four points in the second quarter to fall behind 37-21 at the half.

Ramy Ahmed paced Eaton with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists. Carson Janney added 10 point and four assists. Beau Miller contributed 10 points and four rebounds, while Grant Miller added nine points and Ty Kidwell chipped in with eight.

On Friday, Dec. 9, Eaton traveled to Waynesville and dropped a 42-41 decision.

Eaton led 14-11 after the opening quarter and trailed 25-23 at the half. Waynesville extended its lead to 33-29 after three quarters.

Eaton, now 2-2 overall and 1-2 in the SWBL, was scheduled to travel to Talawanda on Tuesday, Dec. 13 before hosting Madison on Friday, Dec. 16 and Ross on Saturday, Dec. 17.

https://www.registerherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2022/12/web1_ehsbbk1-1.jpgKathy Kerler Mowen | For The Regsiter-Herald

https://www.registerherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2022/12/web1_ehsbbk2-1.jpgKathy Kerler Mowen | For The Regsiter-Herald

Eaton’s Preston Orr plays defense during the Eagles game with Bellbrook on Tuesday, Dec. 6. Eaton stuggle during the second quarter, scoring just six points, in a 75-55 loss.
https://www.registerherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2022/12/web1_ehsbbk3-1.jpgEaton’s Preston Orr plays defense during the Eagles game with Bellbrook on Tuesday, Dec. 6. Eaton stuggle during the second quarter, scoring just six points, in a 75-55 loss. Kathy Kerler Mowen | For The Regsiter-Herald

https://www.registerherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2022/12/web1_ehsbbk4-1.jpgKathy Kerler Mowen | For The Regsiter-Herald

https://www.registerherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2022/12/web1_ehsbbk5-1.jpgKathy Kerler Mowen | For The Regsiter-Herald

https://www.registerherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2022/12/web1_ehsbbk6-1.jpgKathy Kerler Mowen | For The Regsiter-Herald

https://www.registerherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2022/12/web1_ehsbbk7-1.jpgKathy Kerler Mowen | For The Regsiter-Herald

By Eddie Mowen Jr.

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Reach Eddie Mowen Jr. at 937-683-4061 and follow on Twitter @emowenjr.

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