Eagle men return home 1-1 in GVC

It was the worst of times, then the best of times for the Eagles men's basketball team on a Friday afternoon in Susanville. But it didn't end the way they wanted.

After opening conference play with a 70-58 win at Shasta in Redding two nights earlier, the Eagles headed southeast with a 12-7 record to play a rescheduled game against Lassen, a team they beat by 3 points at the Mendocino Tournament in mid-November.

Almost nothing went right in the first half. The Eagles made only two shots from the field and were down 42-16 at the intermission. The second half was a whole other movie, as the Eagles made shot after shot during a 49-22 run that gave them a one-point lead. They had the lead and the ball with one minute to play, then everything went wrong.

As described by coach Kyle Heath, an Eagle turnover was followed by a foul, and Lassen made one of two free throws to tie it. Another turnover was followed by a foul and two successful Lassen free throws. The Eagles got fouled twice in the final 20 seconds and missed four free throws. Trailing by 2 points with 2 seconds to play, Heath said they missed that fourth free throw on purpose, hoping to get the rebound. But the ball didn't hit the rim, which gave Lassen possession and, after two more free throws, a 69-65 win.

Sophomore guard Braden Watts, one of four Eagles to score in double digits, was 4 of 9 from long distance and finished with 18 points. Freshman guard Dylan Neufeld had 16 points and a team-high 5 assists, sophomore guard Zan Lueth scored 7 of his 13 points from the free throw line, and freshman guard Landon Ellis added 10 points. Sophomore forward Cade Ealy led the Eagles with 9 rebounds, and freshman forward Cole Bernius had 7.

Lassen was 4-11 in the preseason but is 2-0 in conference.

The Eagles trailed by 4 at half time against Shasta, then outscored the Knights 37-21 to win by 12. Neufeld led the Eagles with 21 points and 5 assists, while Lueth scored 17 points on 6 of 9 shooting from the field and grabbed 6 rebounds. Ealy had a team-high 14 rebounds, and freshman guard Josh Allen made 5 of his 7 field goal tries to finish with 12 points.

After playing 19 of their first 20 games on the road, the Eagles are scheduled to play five of their next seven at home in Weed, beginning this Wednesday at 5 p.m. against Butte (8-11 overall, 0-2 GVC). They'll also host Feather River (4-15 and 2-1) Saturday at 1 p.m.

Heath said he expects his team to bounce back quickly from Friday's loss and hopes they will start getting started more quickly.

By Steve Gerace