Brock Netter, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
ATHENS — Success continues to follow the Eastern Eagles.
And it followed the program to the Convo on Sunday afternoon.
For the first time in 13 years, a district championship plaque is heading back to Beaver as the Eagles overwhelmed Valley in the second half by a 34-18 margin to put away a 59-40 victory in a Division VI district final.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“For starters, it all goes to our Lord and Savior,” Eastern’s Declan Davis said. “We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Him. But it means everything to us and it means everything to our community. We hold ourselves to a high standard and we feel like this is where [the trophy] belongs.”
Both teams traded buckets to open the game, but Eastern’s Cade Leist got three points the hard way to put the Eagles ahead 7-4 early.
Valley responded with a 9-2 run behind Chase Davis, Christian Copen and Jaxsyn Bender, taking a 13-9 advantage before Boston Webb and Tucker Leist scored, to force a 13-13 tie at the end of the first quarter.
Bender was a force underneath the glass as he continued to corral rebounds for second chance points, leading an 8-2 run that put the Indians up 21-15.
But Eastern answered as Tucker Leist and Aiden Werner connected on a pair of 3-balls to tie the game before taking a 25-22 lead into the break.
The Eagles didn’t waste time out of the gates in the second half as Tucker Leist, Cade Leist, Warner and Webb spearheaded a 10-3 run to claim a 35-25 lead.
“It’s nice [to play with Tucker, his brother],” Cade Leist said. “We’ve been playing together since we were little kids in the backyard. I just feel like we know where each other’s at all of the time. It’s where our dad taught us how to pick and roll.”
That advantage only climbed, swelling to as large as 39-26 with Tucker Leist running the show. Eastern maintained that double-digit advantage heading into the fourth at 41-31.
Although Valley chipped away, even cutting the deficit to 44-35, that was the closest the Indians would get throughout the rest of the night.
The Eagles’ defense held the Indians to just five additional points while Davis and Leist continued attacking the rim to put a bow on a district title win.
“I think just pushing up the floor, that’s what I do best,” Tucker Leist said. “That’s what was working best for me.”
Davis finished with a game-high 16 points for Eastern, followed by Tucker Leist with 11 points, five rebounds and five assists. Werner and Webb added 11 points each.
For Valley, Copen finished with a double-double of 10 points and 16 rebounds.
As Valley’s season ends, Eastern returns to action at 8 p.m. on Wednesday in a Division VI regional semifinal at Ohio Dominican University. The Eagles will meet with Cardington-Lincoln, who won a Central District championship to advance.
“Us all being back together this year, as one, it’s something we’ve always dreamed about, playing at the Convo,” Davis said. “It means everything to us honestly. We’re all brothers and we just love each other. We like to take this one game at a time. But we feel confident in ourselves. We’re going to go [to the Sweet 16] with all of the confidence in the world.”
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