Hartville falls in state sectionals classic

The Hartville Eagles’ basketball season came to an last week against defending Class 2 state champion Eugene in the state sectionals contest played at Lebanon High School.
In the fourth quarter, Hartville had five early turnovers and Eugene took advantage with a 9-0 run to take a 26-24 lead in a low-scoring contest.
Jordan O’Quinn’s 3-pointer with 1:56 left put Hartville back in front.
Unfortunately, Eugene answered with a 3-pointer with 1:05 remaining.
Hartville would miss two 3-point shots in the final minute of play. They would get one more opportunity in the final seconds, but Boone Garrison’s off-balanced shot missed its mark and Eugene won, 29-27. Eugene has since went on to defeat Crane, 60-45, in the state quarterfinals to advance to the Final Four.
For Hartville, they ended their season with a 23-5 overall record.
“It was a tough loss to a very good Eugene team,” said Hartville head coach Brett Reed. “It came down to one possession and they simply made one more play than we did. I am extremely proud of our team this year. The resiliency they shown after the injury to Mason (Cogdill) was incredible and our seniors will be missed. This group left their mark on Hartville basketball and fought to protect our tradition and culture each and every day. Thank you to our loyal community members for their support of our boys this season. They make Hartville the very best place in the world to coach and play basketball.”
In looking closer at the first three quarters of play, Hartville’s defense and patient offense gave them a chance to nearly knock off Eugene.
Hartville had an early 8-0 run while the defense held Eugene to just 1-of-11 shots from the field.
Up 11-2, Hartville’s offense struggled in the second quarter making just 1-of-9 shots from the field.
Eugene had a 7-2 run and cut the lead to 13-10 at halftime.
An early 5-0 run with the help of O’Quinn’s 3-pointer pushed Hartville’s lead back to 18-10.
Hartville was up 23-12 before Eugene cut the lead to 24-17 before the fourth quarter.
After going 1-for-11 in the first three quarters, Eugene’s Ethan Wunderlich scored 10 of his team’s 12 points in the final frame to win the contest.
O’Quinn made three, 3-pointers for a team-high nine points; Gus Sinning had eight points, seven rebounds and two steals; Truett Coryell hit a pair of 3-pointers for six points, two rebounds, two steals and one assist; and Garrison had four points, six rebounds and two assists. Hayden Johns had no points, five rebounds and five assists.