PREBLE COUNTY — In the Southwestern Buckeye League, both Eaton and Preble Shawnee made strides toward program improvement. The Eagles, who are under new direction with head coach John Tollefson, played each game hard and until the very end. They took Southwestern Division champion Franklin to the brink twice, and lost seven games by 10 points or less. Shawnee finished third in the conference and above the .500 mark, a consistent improvement over the last three seasons.
In the Buckeye Division, the Arrows ended with a 5-7 record. They also placed three members of their team on the All-SWBL roster, with Thomas Buell earning first team honors. Vince Bulach and Joby Williams earned a spot on the SWBL second team as well. All three Arrows are seniors.
Buell, who was on second team a season ago, was a big man with a nice touch. He averaged 12.8 points and 8.9 rebound per game while shooting 43.5 percent from the floor and 31.3 percent from three-point range.
Bulach averaged 6.1 points per game while shooting 33.9 percent from behind the arch. He had a season high 21 points against Middletown Madison, as the Arrows pulled out a 61-60 win.
Williams is a four-year varsity letter winner who finished his season with 89 total assists. Running point, he also averaged 5.2 points and one steal per game.
Eaton also ended up with three players on the Southwestern Division side, with Trevor Pittman taking first team honors and Daniel Howard and Trey Smith getting second team nods.
Pittman, a junior forward, was the Eagles best scorer before ending his season with an injury. During his 17 games though, he posted 17.5 points, 1.4 steals, and 5.5 rebounds per game. He also shot 46.2 percent from the floor.
Howard, also a junior forward, didn’t post big offensive numbers but he consistently led the team on the glass, bringing down eight rebounds per game while chipping in 8.7 points per contest. He also averaged one steal and just over one block per game while shooting an efficient 52.4 percent form the floor.
Smith, who earned first team honors last season, is a senior and a leader on the Eagles roster. At the guard position, he put up 13.3 points and 4.7 boards per game. He was a 45.5 percent field goal shooter and was 32.9 percent from long range.
