Troy Hoffdahl followed teammate Robert Vaughn’s lead, sinking a pair of free throws with 3.3 seconds remaining to help lift East Union over the Enochs Eagles 63-61 Friday at the Dalben Center.
The Lancers (3-3) turned the tables after Enochs seemingly had things in hand with a 41-30 halftime lead, coming out with aggressive defensive play and ceasing the Enochs offense, holding the Eagles to just three third quarter points. Yet, the balance of the game came down to the foul stripe and East Union took advantage of its opportunities.
“Free throw shooting is key in that situation,” East Union head coach Brett Lewis said. “Without those guys making those shots we lose that game. When they are fouling like that and we’re able to hit our free throws, that’s the difference.”
Vaughn came to the line with 16.8 seconds in the game and calmly dropped a pair of free throw’s without touching the rim. Hoffdahl’s two free throws were just as important, with Enochs’ Jozef Whitehurst nailing a buzzer-beater from halfcourt to end the contest.
The Lancers found success early in the contest with the deep ball, sinking back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the first quarter for a 14-8 lead. Teejay Gordon sank the frist one and sharp-shooting Brandon Cline made his first two. Cline was far from done, nailing another three in East Union’s next possession and draining another three to push East Unoin up for good at 54-51 in the fourth quarter.
“He is going to get that; he’s going to get a lot of people right in his face,” Lewis said of Cline. “Fortunately, for us, they sort of lost him in that first quarter and he hit those 3’s to give us a 10-point lead. Then they locked down on him, and he played smart and was patient and didn’t try and rush anything.
“Then he gets his shot, and keeps us in the game. That was really huge.”
The Lancers made seven 3’s on the night, with Evan Lewis making a huge 3-pointer to end the third quarter, moments after Jordan Kron sank his first and only 3-pointer of the game. Kron did get going from inside the arc, finishing with 13 points, including a pair of key layups in the pivotal fourth quarter.
“I feel it was absolutely the defense in the third quarter that made the difference for us,” Kron said. “The first half our defense was not good, but we came out determined in the second half and we have to start doing that earlier.
“You have to give a lot of credit to Brandon (Cline) and Troy (Hoffdahl), those guys really got after it.”
Cline finished with a dozen, while Hoffdahl added nine. Senior Robert Vaughn chipped in with six points, five rebounds and led the Lancers with six steals.
East Union will try and keep the momentum when they roll out the welcome mats for the Lincoln Trojans Monday at 7 p.m.
Justin Nieto led action with a game-high 16 points, while Tyras Rattler chipped in nine. Both Aaron Ramos and Kyle Adriaens finished with eight. Adriaens came off the bencj to spark the club with two 3-pointers.
The Lancers (3-3) turned the tables after Enochs seemingly had things in hand with a 41-30 halftime lead, coming out with aggressive defensive play and ceasing the Enochs offense, holding the Eagles to just three third quarter points. Yet, the balance of the game came down to the foul stripe and East Union took advantage of its opportunities.
“Free throw shooting is key in that situation,” East Union head coach Brett Lewis said. “Without those guys making those shots we lose that game. When they are fouling like that and we’re able to hit our free throws, that’s the difference.”
Vaughn came to the line with 16.8 seconds in the game and calmly dropped a pair of free throw’s without touching the rim. Hoffdahl’s two free throws were just as important, with Enochs’ Jozef Whitehurst nailing a buzzer-beater from halfcourt to end the contest.
The Lancers found success early in the contest with the deep ball, sinking back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the first quarter for a 14-8 lead. Teejay Gordon sank the frist one and sharp-shooting Brandon Cline made his first two. Cline was far from done, nailing another three in East Union’s next possession and draining another three to push East Unoin up for good at 54-51 in the fourth quarter.
“He is going to get that; he’s going to get a lot of people right in his face,” Lewis said of Cline. “Fortunately, for us, they sort of lost him in that first quarter and he hit those 3’s to give us a 10-point lead. Then they locked down on him, and he played smart and was patient and didn’t try and rush anything.
“Then he gets his shot, and keeps us in the game. That was really huge.”
The Lancers made seven 3’s on the night, with Evan Lewis making a huge 3-pointer to end the third quarter, moments after Jordan Kron sank his first and only 3-pointer of the game. Kron did get going from inside the arc, finishing with 13 points, including a pair of key layups in the pivotal fourth quarter.
“I feel it was absolutely the defense in the third quarter that made the difference for us,” Kron said. “The first half our defense was not good, but we came out determined in the second half and we have to start doing that earlier.
“You have to give a lot of credit to Brandon (Cline) and Troy (Hoffdahl), those guys really got after it.”
Cline finished with a dozen, while Hoffdahl added nine. Senior Robert Vaughn chipped in with six points, five rebounds and led the Lancers with six steals.
East Union will try and keep the momentum when they roll out the welcome mats for the Lincoln Trojans Monday at 7 p.m.
Sophomores
East Union 51, Enochs 36
The Lancers outscored Enochs 17-4 in the first quarter and refused to relinquish their grip, cruising to a relatively easy win over the Enochs Friday.East Union 51, Enochs 36
Justin Nieto led action with a game-high 16 points, while Tyras Rattler chipped in nine. Both Aaron Ramos and Kyle Adriaens finished with eight. Adriaens came off the bencj to spark the club with two 3-pointers.
