LAPEL — The Eastern Hancock boys basketball team knew they had their hands full on Friday night against a Lapel team playing some of its best basketball of the season.
The Bulldogs entered the night on a four-game win streak and winners of nine of their last 10 games.
For stretches, the Royals (7-7) hung right with the Bulldogs (10-5), but on the road they fell short 52-39.
“They’ve won nine out of 10, and they play a really tough schedule. We knew they were really good, they were big, and that they had guys that could shoot it and take it to the basket. We figured it would be a physical game,” Eastern Hancock head coach Brett Bechtel said. “We had segments where we competed and looked good, but you can’t have two or three-minute lapses where you’re sloppy. Good teams are going to punish you for that and it’s really going to put you in a hole.”
The Royals got out to a hot start with eight quick points in the opening few minutes of the game to take an early lead.
Kayden Ruble opened the game with a 3-pointer on the Royals opening possession, and later in the quarter, a Luke Morris trey put Eastern ahead 8-4.
The Bulldogs answered with a 13-2 run to gain control.
Brode Judge matched the Morris 3-pointer and a Matthew Carpenter layup gave Lapel their first lead of the night, 9-8.
A Charlie Halcomb basket put the Royals back in front momentarily and for the final time of the night. Four straight Brode Judge points and another Carpenter layup helped the Bulldogs retake and grow their lead.
“We were ready to go and got some shots to fall. We got off to a good start, and we had to on the road against a good team,” Bechtel said. ‘We just have to find a way to put a full 32 minutes together, not 27 or 24.”
After the opening eight points, the Royals offense was held to just 11 the remainder of the half, and with the Eastern offense struggling, the Bulldogs pushed the lead to double-digits.
Five straight Bode Judge points to open the second quarter made it 22-13, and a few possessions later a Devin Craig 3-pointer pushed the lead to 10.
“They’re long and athletic. We just made some mental mistakes that we don’t normally make, and made some passes that just weren’t there,” Bechtel said. “We had a few defensive breakdowns that we don’t normally make too, and when you play somebody like this, you have to be fully connected mentally, physically and emotionally, and tonight it wasn’t quite all there.”
Down by 10, turnovers by the Eastern Hancock offense allowed the Bulldogs to increase the lead even more early in the third quarter.
Off of a steal, Craig knocked down his second trey of the game to open the third period and gave Lapel a 32-19 lead.
More turnovers later in the quarter by the Royals allowed the lead to get as big as 15. The Royals had five third-quarter giveaways and 14 total on the night.
“We were just uncharacteristically sloppy tonight. They scored off of a bunch of turnovers. When you don’t have it offensively, you can’t give away points like that,” Bechtel said. “When we play better opponents we just have to be better with the basketball. We’re going to need to clean that up.”
Led by Ruble, the Royals fought back to make it an eight-point game late in the third quarter.
Two straight baskets by Ruble made things 37-26, and near the end of the period, a Ruble 3-pointer cut the lead to 39-29 entering the final eight minutes.
But each time Eastern Hancock threatened a comeback, the Bulldogs responded.
A Brode Judge 3-pointer early in the fourth gave the Bulldogs a 13-point lead again, but Caiden Willis answered with a 3-point play for the Royals.
Two minutes later, another Royals basket cut the lead down to 10 again, but free throws by Craig down the stretch closed things out.
Ruble led Eastern Hancock with 11 points, Willis had nine and Halcomb had six.
Brode Judge scored 15 to lead Lapel. He was followed by Craig with 12 and brother, Bode Judge, with 11.
The Royals are home Saturday night against Triton Central.
–
Lapel 52, Eastern Hancock 39
Eastern Hancock;13;6;10;10;—;39
Lapel;17;12;10;13;—;52
Eastern Hancock (7-7): Kayden Ruble 4 1-2 11, Luke Morris 1 0-2 3, Caiden Willis 3 3-7 9, Caden Powers 2 0-0 5, Charlie Halcomb 3 0-0 6, Eli Manship 1 0-0 2, Luke Schilling 1 0-0 3, Garrett Shaw 0 0-0 0. Totals: 15 4-11 39.
Lapel (10-5): Bode Judge 5 0-0 11, Brode Judge 6 1-4 15, Devin Craig 3 4-4 12, Nick Witte 2 2-2 6, Matthew Carpenter 2 0-0 4, Quinn Wilkins 1 0-0 2, Talan Jarrett 1 0-0 2. Totals: 20 7-10 52.
3-point goals: Eastern Hancock 5 (Ruble 2, Morris, Powers, Schilling); Lapel 5 (Brode Judge 2, Craig 2, Bode Judge).
