LEES CREEK — When Wyatt Floyd made history Friday night, he completed the lone drama left in the Astros game against Blanchester.
Floyd’s three with 1:43 remaining in the first half made him the all-time leading scorer in East Clinton boys basketball history, surpassing the great Mark Woodruff.
“It’s crazy, really,” Floyd said. “I’ve always heard Mark was a great player. I don’t even know. It’s wild.”
It was part of a first-half masterpiece by the Astros as East Clinton pummelled Blanchester 72-39.
“It’s a dream come true,” Floyd said. “Being in front of this crowd. It was awesome.”
The game was halted after the record-breaking three. Floyd’s family joined him on the floor. Woodruff himself presented Floyd with the game ball.
In a fitting end to Floyd’s first half, the senior guard tossed in a 50-footer as the halftime buzzer sounded. It capped a 49-point first half for the Astros (9-7 overall, 6-4 SBC).
“Think about how many shots he’s taken since he was a little kid,” EC head coach Tony Berlin said. “It’s every kid’s dream … to hit a half-court shot at the buzzer, to hit a three to break the all-time record.
“What a great kid he is. He’s going to do well no matter what he does.”
East Clinton made 10 of 14 shots in the first quarter and 18 of 33 in the half.
BHS head coach Adam Weber added his congratulations on Floyd’s record.
“This accomplishment is very well deserved,” Weber said. “To pass a player of Mark Woodruff’s caliber speaks for itself.”
Meanwhile, Friday’s game couldn’t have gone worse for the Wildcats (6-10, 4-6). Blanchester made just 2 of 17 from the floor in the first quarter and just 7 of 30 in the first half.
The night was all about Floyd. He finished with 27 points and four assists.
“This was our best overall game we’ve played,” Floyd said. “We’ve had spurts where we show we can, but we really put four quarters together.
JT McCarren added 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals.
“Blanchester’s a very good team,” Berlin said. “They’ve got talent and they’re well-coached. For us to put a whipping on them like that, that gives my kids a lot of confidence.”
Brayden Sipple led Blanchester with 11 points and six rebounds.
This may not be the last milestone this season for Floyd. He is 61 points away from tying Robbin Luck for first on the all-time scoring list in East Clinton basketball history.
SUMMARY
Feb. 2, 2018
@East Clinton High School
East Clinton 72, Blanchester 39
BL 05.12.14.08…..39
EC 24.25.14.09…..72
(39) BLANCHESTER (fg-3fg-ft-tp) Ian Heeg 0-0-4-4, Eric Patton 0-0-2-2, Nevan Coyle 1-1-2-5, Brant Bandow 1-0-0-2, Brayden Sipple 4-1-2-11, Lane Heeg 3-0-1-7, Cole Feirl 1-0-0-2, Jordan Stroud 3-0-0-6. TOTALS 13-2-11-39.
(72) EAST CLINTON (fg-3fg-ft-tp) Brendan Jenkins 1-0-0-2, Branson Smith 3-2-0-8, JT McCarren 5-1-6-17, Alex Pence 4-0-1-9, Dylan Michael 2-0-0-4, Wyatt Floyd 11-2-3-27, Matt Mitchell 1-1-0-3, Colten Vadnais 1-0-0-2. TOTALS 28-6-10-72.
FIELD GOALS: B 13/54 (Sipple 4/12, Stroud 3/9, L. Heeg 3/4); EC 28/56 (Floyd 11/18, McCarren 5/9, Pence 4/5, Smith 3/7)
3 POINT FIELD GOALS: B 2/13; EC 6/19 (Smith 2/6, Floyd 2/3)
FREE THROWS: B 11/14 (I. Heeg 4/4); EC 10/22 (McCarren 6/8)
REBOUNDS: B 37 (Stroud 6, Sipple 6, Griffin 4, Mitchell 4); EC 35 (McCarren 6, Smith 3, Floyd 3)
ASSISTS: B 4 (Stroud 2); EC 14 (McCarren 5, Floyd 4, Jenkins 3)
STEALS: B 5 (Stroud 2); EC 15 (McCarren 5, Floyd 4)
BLOCKED SHOTS: B 3 (I. Heeg 2); EC 3 (McCarren 2, Smith 1)
TURNOVERS: B 22; EC 11
