LocalSportsJournal.com
CUSTER — Despite a valiant effort, the Mason County Eastern boys basketball team simply couldn’t keep the Marion Eagles grounded and came up short in a 63-54 West Michigan D League loss at home Wednesday night.
In their first game following the Christmas break, the Cardinals found themselves trailing the Eagles by 17 points late before Clay Shoup buried two 3-point shots to get back to within 11 in the fourth period.
After falling into a seven-point hole in the first half, the Cardinals managed to rally and made it a one possession game after the first 16 minutes.
Marion ended the first quarter with a two-point lead, 15-13. Eastern matched the Eagles scoring in the second as each netted 12 and it was a 27-25 deficit at the half.
The Eagles outscored the Cardinals, 17-11 in the third quarter and increased their lead to eight, 44-36 and then prevailed with a 19-18 edge in the fourth.
Shoup wound up as the game’s leading scorer with 25 points. Trent Hawkes contributed 12. Shoup now has scored 1,227 points in his varsity career and stands 22nd all-time.
Eastern dropped to 2-6 overall and 1-5 in the WMD, and hosts Pentwater in another league game on Friday night.
