Midway hangs on for four-point victory over Red Wolves

MIDWAY, Ky. -- After wrapping up their finals this past week, the Midway men's basketball team returned to the friendly confines of Marshall Gymnasium on Saturday (Dec. 10) when they hosted IU East (Ind.) in a River States Conference West Division matchup.

The Eagles would lead by as many as 14 with just under eight minutes remaining, but they were forced to fend off a furious rally by the Red Wolves as they held on for the 59-55 victory.

With the win, Midway improves to 7-4 overall with a 4-1 mark in RSC play while the Red Wolves fall to 5-6 overall and 2-3 in league play.

After the Eagles gained an early 2-0 lead, the Red Wolves responded with an 8-1 rally to take an early 8-3 lead. The Eagles responded with a quick 9-0 run as they would take a 10-8 lead heading into the media timeout.

IU East took a 21-15 lead with 5:23 left in the half, but the Eagles got back-to-back layups from Ridge Hall (New Pekin, Ind.) and Rico Tate (Memphis, Tenn.) to cut the deficit to two with 4:23 left. The Eagles then closed the half on a quick 4-0 run to cut the lead to 24-23 at intermission.

Midway opened the second half on a 9-0 run getting back-to-back layups from Will VanHook (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Tate before Tobias Thompson (Louisville, Ky.) capped the run with a pair of layups as the home team took a 32-24 lead forcing an IU East timeout.

After the two squads traded baskets, TJ O'Connor (Miami, Fla.) hit 3-of-3 at the charity stripe before Thompson grabbed an offensive rebound and hit a layup pushing the lead to 43-33.

IU East cut the lead to six, but O'Connor answered with a three-pointer before Miller drained a long two-pointer and a contested three-pointer as Midway took their largest lead of the contest at 51-37 with 7:54 remaining in regulation.

The Eagles seemed to be in control as they held a 53-39 advantage with 6:43 remaining, but the Red Wolves slowly chipped away at the deficit. Trailing by 12 with 5:18 left, the Red Wolves embarked on a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to four with 2:02 left in regulation.

IU East would have three chances to cut Midway's lead to one possession, but they failed to do so as Tate grabbed a defensive rebound and found Donnie Miller (Newport, Ky.) who put down a two-handed slam to help seal the 59-55 victory.

Miller led the way for the Eagles with 12 points, while Tate turned in a solid performance with 11 points and eight rebounds. Thompson added eight points, nine rebounds, and five blocks, while Nick Keeton (Paintsville, Ky.) and VanHook grabbed seven rebounds apiece. O'Connor, meanwhile, chipped in nine points off the bench.

Midway returns to action on Wednesday, December 14 when they host Simmons (Ky.) in non-conference play. Opening tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET from Marshall Gymnasium.

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