Lady Eagles Conquer Ozark
Coming off of an away game on Friday night, the Lady Eagles were back in action Saturday, January 16. The Lady Eagles took on the Ozark Ambassadors of Joplin, MO. From the very first few minutes into the game, it looked like the game would turn into a battle that would come down to every possession.
January 18, 2016
Coming off of an away game on Friday night, the Lady Eagles were back in action Saturday, January 16. The Lady Eagles took on the Ozark Ambassadors of Joplin, MO. From the very first few minutes into the game, it looked like the game would turn into a battle that would come down to every possession. As the first quarter came to a close, the Lady Eagles were shooting 42% from the field and 62% from behind the three point line. This led to a 11 point lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Lady Ambassador's kept fighting, led by Chelsea Woodring and Whitney Matlack. The Lady Ambassador's won the second quarter, but the Lady Eagles went into half time still up by 10 points. The Lady Eagles lost freshman Shelby Hembera to an ankle injury, yet this loss didn't faze the young Eagles. "Shelby tweaked her ankle, but it's nothing too serious. As a precaution we decided to keep her out the rest of the game," said Coach Graw.
The second half was very much like the second quarter which saw teams trading baskets.
Just when it looked like the Ambassadors were looking to go on a run, the Lady Eagles responded with a scoring run of their own. The mature guard play of Nakiah Kimble helped the Eagles fight off a fourth quarter press by the Ambassadors and slowly put the game away. The Lady Eagle's good shooting helped propel them to victory closing the game shooting over 48% from behind the three point line.
Additionally, the Lady Eagles bench played well putting up 15 points and 18 rebounds. The Lady Eagles win another game against a very good conference opponent and improve to 8-4 for the season. "To be 8-4 at this point in the season is huge for us as it gives us 1 more win then last season. But we must remain focused on the process and continue growing closer as one body towards the goal that is much bigger than any one of us individually. This team can do great things and we haven't even scratched the surface yet," Coach Graw said.
Madison Laib led with 26 points and 7 rebounds followed by Rachel West with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. The Lady Eagles will continue this journey on Tuesday January 18th against rival Moody Bible Institute.
