Eagles join SWC contenders with victory at Amherst

The race for the Southwestern Conference boys basketball crown was thought to be a four-team race, but suddenly there’s a fifth contender, the Avon Eagles.

Avon went on the road Friday and pulled a big upset over Amherst, 76-65. The Eagles opened a double-digit lead in the first quarter and then held on with some strong shooting and rebounding to win their sixth consecutive game. As a result, there are now five teams within one game atop the SWC standings, with Elyria and Berea-Midpark each sitting at 4-1 and Avon, Olmsted Falls and Amherst a game back at 3-2.

Avon, 7-2, never trailed, and was led by Joey Ziegler, who had a game-high 22 points. In recent games the Eagles have gotten big points off the bench, and this time that role was filled by junior Preston Johnson, who scored a career-high 18 points, including three 3-pointers. Two of his long-range bombs came in the fourth quarter and helped Avon protect its lead. The Eagles also got 17 points from Brooks Good and 10 from Gavyn Kittelberger.

Avon is in action again Saturday night when it travels to Lakewood.