Basketball Recap: Thursday's Defeat Ends Eastern Hancock's Winning Streak

If Eastern Hancock was feeling good fresh off their 57-35 takedown of Randolph Southern last Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Eastern Hancock Royals took a 64-54 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Tri Titans on Thursday. The Royals' defeat signaled the end of their seven-game winning streak.

Despite the loss, Eastern Hancock saw an underclassman step up: sophomore McKenzie Koch posted 29 points. Koch's evening made it 22 games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Bella Sotelo, who earned 11 points and seven steals.

Even though they lost, Eastern Hancock smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in five consecutive games.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Tri to victory, but perhaps none more so than Jillian Chew, who scored 16 points along with eight boards and six assists. Chew is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last nine games she's played. Kenley Cornelius was another key player, going 6 of 11 on her way to 16 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals.

Eastern Hancock's defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 19-3. As for Tri, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a nice bump to their 16-7 record this season.

Both are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. Eastern Hancock will face off against Indianapolis Scecina Memorial at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Eastern Hancock is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 59.7 points per game this season. As for Tri, they will take on Morristown at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Morristown will roll in looking for their seventh straight win, something Tri surely won't give up without a fight.