Eagles Finish 6th In Midstate Conference Tournament

The opening round of the Midstate Conference Tournament saw the Eagles battling the Bluejays from Pierce for the second time this season, with the outcome similar to the first matchup as the Pierce defense shut down the Eagles offensive attack to win the game 58-40.  “Pierce prides themselves on their defense and it was tough for us to get open looks all night,” commented Coach Kallhoff.  Pierce also shot extremely well, as was evident with the opening quarter when they hit four threes to take a 12-10 lead.  Leading the way for the Eagles was Brock Schueth who finished with nine points, followed by Jordyn Johnson with eight to go along with his seven rebounds, Tyler knopp added seven pts, and Derrick Hostert pitched in six. The loss moved O’Neill to the consolation bracket where they faced Battle Creek in the second round.

Friday, Feb. 3 O’Neill again traveled to Norfolk, this time to face Battle Creek in the second  round of the Mid State Conference Tournament.  The Eagles jumped to an early first quarter lead with a solid defensive effort and some quick transition points for a 15-3 advantage heading into the second stanza.  From there the Eagles added five more points to their lead to head into halftime up 32-15.  The Braves came out in the second half swinging to cut the lead down as far as nine at one point, but it was too little too late as O’Neill recorded their first victory in conference tournament action with a final of 62-42.  Leading all scorers on the night was Jordyn Johnson with 19 points to go along with nine  rebounds and four steals.  Others scorers included Connor Peterson with 10, and Derrick Hostert, Tyler Knopp, and Brock Schueths all with eight  points and four  assists a piece.  David Akainda also shot well, finishing with seven points.  The win put the Eagles into the 5th/6th place game against Norfolk Catholic for another rematch of conference foes. 

The finals of the Midstate Conference Tournament was to be held this past Saturday, but due to the first snow storm of the year the games got pushed to Monday. Instead of playing those games all at Wayne State College as planned, the Eagles had to finish their conference tournament the same place it began Norfolk Catholic. As it would happen, O’Neill’s opponent was Norfolk Catholic who got to the game after losing to Boone Central in the opening round and then beating Wayne last Friday.  On this night the Knights put together four solid quarters and the Eagles could only manage three in the defeat, 66-50.  The first quarter was back and forth as the teams traded buckets and so was much of the second as Donnie Taylor helped keep the game close, nailing two threes that propelled O’Neill to a one point advantage, 31-30, at halftime.  The second half started much the way the first half ended, with neither team able to pull away, but the fourth quarter proved to be the difference maker as the Eagles ran out of steam and could only muster five points in the final stanza. “I was extremely proud at how hard the boys played.  It seems like we are finally starting to fit into our roles and play within ourselves, but now the trick will be to string together four straight quarters of solid play against tough opponents like Norfolk Catholic,” said Coach Kallhoff.  Leading the Eagles on the night was Jordyn Johnson who had a game high 21 points, followed by Donnie Taylor who knocked down three threes for nine points. Tyler Knopp added six points, Derrick Hostert and Brock Schueth each with five, and Connor Peterson rounded out the scoring with four.  

Next action for the Eagles is this Friday night vs. Ord in the Eagle home finale.  Come support the team as they look to add to the  win column vs. the Chanticleers, tip off at 7:45.