Savage Heat thump Two Eagle River
It was a good night to be a Savage Heat fan, or a player for that matter.
Both boys and girls teams feasted on a pair of winless Two Eagle River teams, with the Hot Springs girls cracking into the win column in resounding fashion of the Lady Eagles from Two Eagle River.
Hot Springs Lady Savage Heat opened the evenings play fresh off a near-comeback win over Noxon the week before by jumping to an early lead over the visiting Lady Eagles.
Two Eagle River, a school in Pablo, fought back in the second quarter and trimmed one point off the Hot Springs lead by outscoring the host team 17-16.
At halftime, Hot Springs was up 28-19.
The Lady Savage Heat then cranked up their offense in the third quarter and went on a run that allowed them to outscore the visitors 20-7 and push their lead to 48-26 heading into the final eight minutes of play.
They outscored Two Eagle River by three in the final quarter to set the final margin of victory at 25 points.
The loss dropped the Lady Eagles to 0-4 on the year, while the win gave Hot Springs a 1-4 mark for the 2021-22 season.
The Lady Savage Heat now embark on the Christmas break. They return to action Friday, January 7 with a road game in St. Regis, then return home the following evening to host Superior.
The Savage Heat boys, meanwhile, put a stamp on the fact they are a contender to be dealt with in the Western 14C race this year with a 73-42 thumping of the Two Eagle River boys.
The outcome was never in doubt just a few minutes into the game as the Hot Springs’ five swarming defense and relentless offensive pressure overwhelmed the visiting Eagles.
By the end of the first quarter, Hot Springs was up 23-4 and well on their way to upping their season record to 4-1.
Hot Springs kept up the attack in the second quarter, adding 10 more points to what had become an insurmountable lead. Heading into halftime, Hot Springs held a 42-13 lead.
Two Eagle River fought back in the third quarter to try and make a ball game of it, but the Savage Heat still outscored them 15-12 in the third period.
Entering the final quarter of play, the home team was up 57-25 and the only thing in doubt was the final score and margin of victory.
The game with Two Eagle River was Hot Springs’ final game before the two-week Christmas break.
Like their Lady Savage Heat counterparts, they return to action January 7 in St. Regis in what is shaping up as a battle for the conference lead. They return home the following evening to take on Superior.