Eastern spoils Whiteoak season-opener, 70-51
Lead Summary
By
Colin Ryan-
MOWRYSTOWN – On a foggy night in Mowrystown, the Whiteoak Wildcats hosted the Eastern Brown Warriors in their 2018-19 varsity basketball season-opener. The Warriors spoiled the ’Cats’ opener with a 70-51 win.
Whiteoak controlled the opening tipoff and cruised to an early six-point lead. Junior Hunter Ruckel in the opening minute of the game drained a 3-point basket for the first score of the game. Traeten Hamilton and Zach Rand combined for three additional points for the early lead.
The Warriors responded with a run of their own, scoring 14 unanswered points. Gage Boone and Titus Burns each scored six points off pairs of 3-point baskets. Marcus Hamilton added two points for Eastern during the run.
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At the 2:23 mark, Whiteoak’s scoreless streak ended with a two-point basket by Rand. Ruckel scored the last two points of the first quarter, sinking two free throws.
In the second period, Ruckel connected on two straight mid-range jump shots. Eastern’s Colton Vaughn responded with eight points in the quarter.
Eastern made two more 3-pointers in the second, giving them seven made in the first half alone. Boone accounted for one of the second-quarter threes, while two were made by Trent Hundley, who made his in a span of 20 seconds.
Whiteoak went 3-of-5 from the charity stripe to close out the second quarter, accounting for three of their last five points. Rand rebounded the ball and put it up for two points at the 2:27 mark. Ruckel made all three of the free throws, totaling seven of the nine points scored in the quarter.
The third quarter began with a foul, sending Kaleb Martin of Eastern to the free-throw line. Martin converted a pair of free throws. From there, the Warriors scored 21 points in the third to build a 56-28 advantage.
Eastern went 8-of-9 from the free-throw line in the quarter, including three made by Boone. Two more 3-point baskets were made, one by Vaughn, the other by Luke Garrett. Also scoring for the Warriors in the third were Marcus Hamilton, Hundley and Ian Wites.
The Wildcats had offensive production from Brayden Yeager, who scored for the first time in the third on a put-back that resulted in an and-one situation. He subsequently drained the free throw.
Atlee Carr and Bradley Ashbaugh each scored three points in the third, coming off the bench.
Marcus Hamilton, Vaughn, Boone, Burns and Garrett combined for 12 of Eastern’s 14 points scored in the fourth quarter. Coming in off the bench for Eastern were Martin and Ryan Boone, who each went 1-of-2 from the free-throw line.
Ruckel posted five fourth-quarter points for Whiteoak. Rand and Hamilton also added two more points to their totals.
Deavin Cumberland went to the line in the fourth, scoring his first point of the new season. Sophomores Nick Bailey and Josh Hughes came in off the bench. Hughes scored two points in the final minute of the game, Bailey drained a 3-pointer in the last five seconds of the game, which was the final basket of the game.
Whiteoak (0-1) travels to Felicity on Dec. 4. Eastern (1-0) hosts Peebles Dec. 4.
Whiteoak controlled the opening tipoff and cruised to an early six-point lead. Junior Hunter Ruckel in the opening minute of the game drained a 3-point basket for the first score of the game. Traeten Hamilton and Zach Rand combined for three additional points for the early lead.
The Warriors responded with a run of their own, scoring 14 unanswered points. Gage Boone and Titus Burns each scored six points off pairs of 3-point baskets. Marcus Hamilton added two points for Eastern during the run.
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At the 2:23 mark, Whiteoak’s scoreless streak ended with a two-point basket by Rand. Ruckel scored the last two points of the first quarter, sinking two free throws.
In the second period, Ruckel connected on two straight mid-range jump shots. Eastern’s Colton Vaughn responded with eight points in the quarter.
Eastern made two more 3-pointers in the second, giving them seven made in the first half alone. Boone accounted for one of the second-quarter threes, while two were made by Trent Hundley, who made his in a span of 20 seconds.
Whiteoak went 3-of-5 from the charity stripe to close out the second quarter, accounting for three of their last five points. Rand rebounded the ball and put it up for two points at the 2:27 mark. Ruckel made all three of the free throws, totaling seven of the nine points scored in the quarter.
The third quarter began with a foul, sending Kaleb Martin of Eastern to the free-throw line. Martin converted a pair of free throws. From there, the Warriors scored 21 points in the third to build a 56-28 advantage.
Eastern went 8-of-9 from the free-throw line in the quarter, including three made by Boone. Two more 3-point baskets were made, one by Vaughn, the other by Luke Garrett. Also scoring for the Warriors in the third were Marcus Hamilton, Hundley and Ian Wites.
The Wildcats had offensive production from Brayden Yeager, who scored for the first time in the third on a put-back that resulted in an and-one situation. He subsequently drained the free throw.
Atlee Carr and Bradley Ashbaugh each scored three points in the third, coming off the bench.
Marcus Hamilton, Vaughn, Boone, Burns and Garrett combined for 12 of Eastern’s 14 points scored in the fourth quarter. Coming in off the bench for Eastern were Martin and Ryan Boone, who each went 1-of-2 from the free-throw line.
Ruckel posted five fourth-quarter points for Whiteoak. Rand and Hamilton also added two more points to their totals.
Deavin Cumberland went to the line in the fourth, scoring his first point of the new season. Sophomores Nick Bailey and Josh Hughes came in off the bench. Hughes scored two points in the final minute of the game, Bailey drained a 3-pointer in the last five seconds of the game, which was the final basket of the game.
Whiteoak (0-1) travels to Felicity on Dec. 4. Eastern (1-0) hosts Peebles Dec. 4.