When the Hartville Eagles traveled to Galena last week, the defending Class 2 state champions were expecting a battle from a Bears team entering the game with a 7-1 record.
Galena trailed by just four points at the end of the first quarter before the Eagles outscored them 57-30 the rest of the way in a 76-45 victory.
Brady Ward hit three big 3-pointers in the first quarter and Braden Branstetter added four points.
Up four, Ryce Piper set the pace in the second quarter with nine points.
Branstetter hit two 3-pointers and Cody Mahan had six points as a 28-point frame gave Hartville a 47-25 lead at halftime.
Hartville would go on to make five more 3-pointers in the second half as four players finished in double figures.
Both Ward and Mahan scored 14 points for the Eagles. Branstetter scored 13 points; Piper had 11 points; Dalton O’Dell had eight points; both Eli Cook and Eric Wilson scored six points; and both Bryce Coday and Jacob Ballard had two points.
In the first round of the Blue Division of the Blue and Gold Tournament, the Eagles opened with a 76-20 win over Houston.
Piper scored 13 points in the first quarter to give the Eagles a 29-2 lead after one quarter of play.
Mahan had seven points and six steals in the first half as Hartville had a 45-8 lead over the Tigers at halftime. As the second half progressed, the Eagles’ defense forced 30 turnovers and pulled away for good. Incredibly, the Eagles were up by 50 points in the third quarter, 59-9. With the turbo clock in effect, Hartville went on to win the game by 56. Piper finished with 25 points. (More statistics to be made available in the Jan. 6 issue.)
