MT. ORAB – The East Clinton freshman boys basketball team was defeated Monday by New Richmond 54-24 in the SBAAC freshman boys basketball tournament at Western Brown.

The Lions, the No. 4 seed in the tournament, led 19-11 at halftime but pulled away in the second half with their deep roster.

“(We) couldn’t keep up with the platoon style,” EC coach Greg Roberts said. “They pressured us the whole game, playing five different players every three minutes, wearing us down. They are a very deep team and we just couldn’t figure out how to handle all the pressure until the fourth quarter.”

Justin Arnold had nine points for East Clinton while Phillip Davis had eight.

Roberts said his squad showed improvement throughout the year and he can’t wait to see them play next season.