(January 27th, 2015) – EDON: The Bombers came within a layup of tying the game against Hamilton.
Unfortunately for the Edon boys, that layup was disrupted by heavy traffic, with several Marines guarding the rim. Senior Alex Kirkingburg elevated above the crowd, trying to take advantage of the brief window to take a shot. It didn’t happen to fall, however, and the boys from Hamilton were able to grab the rebound.
Edon began to foul in order to extend the game, allowing the Marines to inflate their lead to 6 in the 51-45 Bomber loss.
The contest was a close one from the start. To begin the first quarter, Edon traded baskets with Hamilton, before some stellar three point shooting by the Marines put some separation between the two teams. By the end of the opening stanza, the Bombers found themselves behind 16-9. Refusing to fade away so early, Edon battled back in the second period, relying heavily on Ladon Bloir, a junior for the Bombers. Energized by a timely three-point make by sophomore Brayden Bauer, the Bombers put up 12 points against the Hamilton defense. The hometown defense stepped up as well, giving up just 5 points to the Marine offensive assault.
At the half, the two teams were tied at 21 points each.
Heading into the third quarter, both units were determined to take over the game offensively. Another three by Bauer, along with the consistent inside scoring of Bloir, helped balloon Edon’s collective total by 13 points. But the deadly accurate Marine shooters sniped several more three-point shots on their way to a 16 point period.
With just a single quarter left in the contest, Edon was down 37-34.
The fourth quarter was an all out war. Hamilton held the upper hand throughout the period, but the Bomber boys would simply not go away. Bauer hit yet another triple to help Edon’s cause, his third on the evening. Junior Jim Peckham also connected on a massive three-point attempt from the deep corner, keeping the Bombers within one possession late in the game. Shortly after Kirkingberg missed the difficult layup that would have tied the contest in the final minute, the senior fouled out of the game in an effort to stop the clock.
Bloir led the Bombers in the heartbreaking loss, scoring 15 points on 6 two-point field goals. Bauer shot his way to 9 points, making a three-point shot in the second, third, and fourth quarters. Kirkingberg put up 8 points against the Marine defense, also having a strong showing on defense. Fellow senior Floyd Young hit a three-pointer early in the contest, helping to bring his total to 7 points. Peckham knocked down a pair of threes on his way to 6 points.