It started out like it was going to be one of those epic battles as KSU Tuscarawas hosted Hocking College in their home opener. The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 4-0 lead by getting a layup basket off the opening tip and a thunderous dunk on a steal of the ensuing inbounds pass, before the Hawks rose up and wrestled for control of the tempo and game deep into the first half.
At the six-minute mark of the first half that saw four lead changes and the score 25-22 in favor of the visitors, the Eagles committed two straight turnovers and an offensive foul that aided an eight-point run and created a 33-22 deficit. The opening curtain closed with Hocking College leading 44-32.
The Hawks were not done and led by 19 points early in the final half, but the Eagles made a spirited 8-0 run to cut the lead to 60-48 with 13:09 left in the game. During the surge, Arthur Jackson (Euclid, OH / Euclid) made two pretty spinning moves to the basket from the elbow and Collin Chambers (Louisville, OH / Louisville) found DeJuan Lawrence (Akron, OH / Kenmore) with nifty bounce passes off penetration in the lane for a one-handed slam and a beautiful kiss off the window. The Eagles had another chance to slice into the lead after a steal, but missed a wide open three-point shot before the uprising was thwarted by a Hocking long range bomb.
Hocking's long reach and pressure defense forced the Golden Eagles into 20 turnovers on the night converting them into 22 points. Ten of the KSU Tusc miscues came on steals. It also hurt that the Hawks shot 51% from the floor, while KSU Tusc had just six assists and made only 3/15 shots from behind the arc. The Navy and Gold did outrebound Hocking 38-20.
The inability to take care of the basketball overshadowed the performance of the two KSU Tusc big men. Jackson led the team with 20 points on 9/14 shooting and also cleared 12 rebounds, while Lawrence scored 17 by shooting 7/11 from the floor, boarded seven misses and blocked three shots. Together they combined to make 16/25 shots.
DJ Haggins (Euclid, OH / New Day Academy) made some great moves to the hoop amongst the trees and scored 15 points on 6/9 field goals. The rest of the Golden Eagles lineup combined for just 6/25 from the floor.
Guards, Ryan Archey, Jr., and Landon Sprigler led the Hawks with 28 and 24 points respectively, while they combined for 20 baskets on 32 attempts. Archey was 4/7 from three-point land.
The loss drops KSU Tusc to 1-1 on the young season and they look to bounce back on Saturday when they host Cincinnati Clermont.
DeJuan Lawrence at the rim for two of his 17 points. DJ Haggins gets fouled and scored 15 points. Photos by Jason Keller