Kate’s Gymnasium showed a packed crowd on Feb. 26 for the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) battle of the one and two seed. Coming into the game, the Walsh Cavaliers sat atop the conference and were ranked number 15 in all of NCAA Division II men’s basketball. 

In the contest, the Eagles scored the first three points, however Walsh responded by going on a 19-4 run over the next eight minutes. Walsh continued their incredible half of shooting, where by halftime they led 44-35 while shooting 9-12 from three-point range.  

As the buzzer sounded and the second half began, the Eagles rallied behind their home crowd of 780 fans to try and upset the G-MAC’s best squad. With 10 minutes to play in the game, Ashland faced a 12-point deficit. The Eagles then went on a fast 8-0 run in a minute and a half to bring the score within four points.  

Regardless of their efforts, the closest the Eagles could get was a three point deficit and chance to tie. After some late free throws and missed Ashland three-point attempts, the final score of the ballgame was 86-74 in favor of the Cavaliers.  

The Eagles were led by redshirt senior forward Maceo Williams who scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Both freshman guards Jason Henlon (13 points) and Beau Sigfried (11 points) played big scoring roles as well for the Eagles. 

With one game remaining in the regular season, the Eagles sit with a record of 19-8 overall, and 13-6 in conference play. Ashland will travel to the rival Findlay Oilers on Feb. 28 for a 3:00 p.m. tipoff in the regular season finale.