By BRAD BAUGHMAN, for The Democrat
After a competitive, evenly played first half against the Clay City High School Eels, the Brown County High School boys basketball team fell victim to a familiar nemesis, poor shooting, and dropped the home contest 51-35 on Saturday night.
The Eagles got on the board first when junior guard Travis Ely made one of two free throws just 20 seconds into the game.
Senior forward Nicholas Huls connected on two consecutive jumpers from the elbow, and the teams traded buckets before ending the quarter with Clay City up 10-9.
The second quarter was a near duplicate of the first. Brown County stayed in its tight man-to-man defense, limiting the Eels to contested shots, and Clay City continued its 2-2-1 three-quarter-court press, trying to disrupt the Eagles’ rhythm.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]“There were a few breakdowns against their press, but for the most part, I don’t think it bugged us,” said Brown County coach John Berning.
The Eels’ half-court defense was more of an issue, however. “Their zone certainly threw us, their 3-2 zone,” said Berning.
The Eagles put up nine points again, six of those coming on back-to-back three-pointers by senior forward Aaron McCann. Clay City scored 10 again, and the Eels went into halftime up 20-18.
In the pivotal third quarter, the Eels found success at the offensive end, posting 15 points and limiting the Eagles to nine.
Ethan Rogers scored seven of his team’s 16 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Eels to stretch their lead. Meanwhile, the Eagles were still struggling to put the ball in the basket, scoring only eight points in the final quarter.
Although the offensive woes continue, Berning does see improvement in the Eagles’ practice sessions. “We see progress in practice as far as guys’ ability to knock shots down. We see progress. They get after it. A lot of skill work (is) being done to try to catch us up a little bit.”
Obviously disappointed with the loss, Berning acknowledged the Eels were deserving of the win. “Credit to Clay City. I think they played with great energy and great effort from the start of the game to the end,” he said, adding, “They came and earned it.”
Jacob Lafary led the Eels with 13, while Ethan Rogers and Bryce Patterson scored 12 apiece.
The Eagles host two WIC opponents this week. Edgewood visits on Friday, Jan. 10, while Indian Creek calls on Saturday, Jan. 11. Both games follow girls varsity games, and should tip at approximately 7:30.
With two tough opponents heading to Larry C. Banks Memorial Gymnasium, Berning knows his team needs a productive week of practice.
“We’ve got a lot to do between now and Friday. We’ve got two good teams coming in, and we’ve got a lot of work to do to prepare for them,” Berning said.
