Brian Hagberg
RUSSELL, Pa. – Eisenhower outscored Cochranton, 20-9, in the fourth quarter as the Knights remained unbeaten in Region 3 play with a 53-40 win over the Cardinals.
Rewatch the game:
Cochranton (4-7 overall, 2-2 Region 3) had pulled even with Eisenhower (11-2, 4-0), 31-31, late in the third quarter, but the Knights responded with a 10-3 run to help put the game out of reach.
“We kind of fell apart a little bit in the third quarter and we just had to stay together,” Eisenhower’s Kyler Black said. “It’s definitely helpful for us to be able to just flip a switch and go score whenever we want.”
See Black’s full Cole Orthodontic Associates postgame interview:
Though the Knights never trailed in the game, the Cardinals kept it from getting out of reach.
Eisenhower led by five, 15-10, after the first quarter. The Knights looked ready to put the game away with a 23-12 lead midway through the second, but Dawson Carroll knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the lead back to five.
Cochranton’s defense slammed the door in the third quarter, limiting Eisenhower to just six points in the frame. The Knights scored the first points of the quarter, but the Cardinals responded with a 7-0 run to tie it at 29-29.
The Cardinals had multiple chances to take the lead, but a pair of turnovers allowed Eisenhower to retake the lead and go on the 10-3 run.
Austin Hanson scored 11 of his game-high 18 points in the final eight minutes. Kris Bunk finished with 14 points, while Casey Seymour had 10, and Black nine.
“We all know that we have five or six people that can go for 20 on any given night,” Black said. “We all have trust in us and when somebody’s hot, we give them the ball.”
The Knights held Cochranton’s leading scorer, Walker Carroll, to just seven points. All seven points came in the third quarter.
Dawson Carroll led the Cardinals with 12 points and Brady Rynd had 11 points.
