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French helps Eaton get past Bellbrook

Win delivers sole possession of second place behind Franklin.

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By Dave Long, Contributing Writer 12:28 AM Saturday, January 28, 2012

BELLBROOK — Football is apparently going to be Cole French’s sport of choice in college.

But Friday he showed why some Division I schools still hope he has a change of heart and opts for basketball.

French scored 19 of his game-high 22 points in the second half of Eaton’s 52-47 win over Bellbrook. The 6-foot-6, 215-pounder, who is averaging 15 points per game, also had six rebounds and six assists.

The win was the fourth in five games for Eaton, even on the year at 7-7. Bellbrook, which had won four of its last five entering the game, drops to 5-7.

The victory also give Eaton the edge for second place in the Southwestern Division of the Southwestern Buckeye League. Bellbrook,

Eaton and Valley View entered Friday’s action tied for second in the division behind Franklin with 5-3 records.

Franklin handled Valley View 74-54 for an 8-0 SWBL record.

Eaton is alone in second at 6-3 while Valley View and Bellbrook are 5-4. Eaton and Valley View meet Feb. 7.

“Franklin is so good, no one in the league will get them” said French. “So we’re all playing for second.”

French was 1-for-5 shooting in the first half, mostly on the right side of the zone Bellbrook used. In the second half, Eaton coach Denny Sheperd moved him to the left side and ran more picks. French responded with 13 points in the quarter on 5-of-7 shooting.

Doug Rasch was able to keep Bellbrook even in third and fourth quarters by scoring 13 of his 20 points. Bellbrook had a 41-40 lead with 5:10 remaining before its offense fizzled.

“I’ll probably go to Toledo for football as a preferred walk-on,” said French, a quarterback. “They’re going to redshirt me as a freshman.

“I know I can play basketball at the D-I level, but your playing time can really shrink from year to year depending who is recruited. I have a better shot at playing in football.”

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