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Boys Hoops' Upset Bid Thwarted By Walnut Hills’ Second Half Burst
Walnut Hills opened the second half on a 12-0 run, overcoming a halftime deficit and taking a lead it wouldn’t relinquish, handing Milford a 38-31 setback in Eastern Cincinnati Conference boys basketball action on Friday night. Defense proved to be the order of the night as both teams were held to season lows in points scored.
RECORDS
Milford 12-8, 7-5 Eastern Cincinnati Conference
Walnut Hills 14-4, 11-1 Eastern Cincinnati Conference
KEY PLAYERS
Milford
Jack Engelman 8 points, 6 rebouds
Brad Hall 7 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists
Walnut Hills
D.J. Benson 13 points
A.J. Fletcher 9 points, 6 rebounds
KEY MOMENTS & RUNS
- The night started great for Milford as five points by Mitchell Wenzler staked the home team to a 7-0 lead 2:24 in.
- Walnut Hills didn’t convert its first field goal until the 1:33 mark of the first.
- A three-pointer by Wes Reid just over one minute into the second period pushed Milford’s lead to a game-high seven.
- A lay-up by Hall with 1:35 to play made the score 17-11 and was the final points of the period.
- Benson came out firing in the third, making a trio of shots from behind the arc to spark Walnut’s period-opening 12-0 run.
- Milford trailed by four after three quarters and could get no closer than five in the fourth, as Walnut closed out the triumph by making 11 of 16 fourth quarter free throws.
NUGGETS OF NOTE
- With the win, Walnut keeps its one-game lead in the ECC en tact, while Milford slips into a tie for third with Anderson, each at 7-5.
- Milford was limited to just 17 percent shooting in the second half after connecting on 43 percent of its first quarter field goals.
- Walnut benefited from 11 second chance points (12 offensive rebounds) and 14 points off 14 Milford turnovers.
- Milford lost the rebounding battle (30-25) for just the sixth time this season in 20 games.
UP NEXT
Milford kicks off the final week of the regular season, traveling to Turpin (7-12, 3-9 ECC) on Tuesday night for the final road game of the year. On Sunday, the Eagles will learn its 2016 OHSAA Tournament fate as the Southwest District coaches converge for the annual tournament draw.
