Eagles Drop Two

The Eagles were on the road twice this past week and faced two teams among the areas top 10.  On Tuesday it was number five Pierce.  The game was a low scoring affair with both defenses clamping down as O’Neill came up short by a score of 47-30.  “I was really impressed with our defense tonight.  I thought we made them work for everything they got, but we simply couldn’t find a rhythm of our own on the offensive end to make any sort of run,” said coach Seth Kallhoff.

Leading all scorers on the night was Tyler Knopp with 13, but only three other Eagles made the scoring column, Jordyn Johnson had nine, Derrick Hostert  six, and Connor Peterson with two. 

On Saturday the Eagles were on the road again, this time to take on the number three Blue Devils of Wayne.  Wayne hit a three pointer early in the first quarter to go on top and they never relinquished the lead despite several strong runs by the Eagles to keep the game within reach for the entire night.  Only at the end, when the Eagles had to foul, did Wayne stretch the lead and finish the game with the 63-53 victory.  “We executed our game plan to a T tonight by focusing on their shooters, but Wayne has a lot of guys who can hit big shots and they did so tonight.  We also found our identity tonight on offense by pushing the ball up the floor and attacking defenses before they have a chance to set up.  Our goals going forward have not changed a bit, as we will continue to get better and will be playing our best ball come tournament and district time,”  commented Coach Kallhoff.  The Eagles were led offensively by Derrick Hostert, who had a game high 17 points.  Connor Peterson had a good all around game with nine points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and three steals.  As did Tyler Knopp who added eight  points, seven rebounds, and five assists.  Others scorers included Jordyn Johnson with eight, Donnie Taylor five, Brock Schueth four, and David Akainda with two.   The Eagles latest action was Tuesday vs. Crofton and get back on the hardwood next Wednesday in Stanton for the Holiday Tournament.