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SMH Cardinals Check Out Of Tournament Early

Last week it was the St. Mary's boys turn to try to prove th...

O'Neill Eagles Start Out 2012 With Two Wins


Jordyn Johnson - drives to the bucket in action against Boone Central last Friday in O'Neill.


On Friday the Eagles played host to the Cardinals of Boone Central with the end result in O'Neill's favor by a score of 65-54.  The first quarter saw the Eagles build a sizeable lead, only to have Boone fight back to finish the stanza all tied up at 16.  The second quarter, the Eagles again built a lead but added the defensive dimension to hold the Cardinals to single digits and to take a seven-point lead into the locker room for halftime.  The second half was much the same as the second quarter as the Eagles continued to attack offensively and were able to hit free throws down the stretch to earn the hard fought victory.  "This was a great win for us against a very tough Boone Central team. We knew this game would come down to the fourth quarter and the boys really responded well by closing out the game mentally, which included making several pressure free throws late," commented Coach Kallhoff.   "I was very pleased with our team concept tonight and if we continue to play this well together then we will be competitive in every game."  That team effort was evident in the scoring column as the Eagles had four players in double digits, led by Tyler Knopp with 15 and followed closely by Derrick Hostert's 13, Jordyn Johnson's 12, and Connor Peterson's 10 point performances.  Johnson added 10 rebounds for a double-double against the much taller Cardinals. Brock Schueth did his part by getting the ball to the open teammates to finish with six assists to go along with his six rebounds.

On Saturday the Eagles played Elgin/Pope John at Pope John Central Catholic and brought home their second win in as many nights by a score of 43-29.  O'Neill jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.  Offensively the Eagles struggled at times to get into the flow of the game due in large part to self-inflicted errors, but they picked up the slack on the defensive end in a big way along with out rebounding the Wolfpack by 17.  Leading all scorers was Jordan Johnson who recorded his second double-double in as many nights with an 18-point, 10 rebound effort.  Brock Schueth also hit double digits with 12 points along with a great defensive effort that allowed him to rip away three steals.  "We struggled at times on the offensive end, but that was somewhat expected because we had just been in a battle the night before with Boone Central.  But we told the boys our effort and defense would have to step up because Elgin/Pope John is a team that will never quit and they will scratch and claw their way back into a tight game if we let them.  Overall we are very pleased with how our team is playing and will continue to work hard in practice to help build off the momentum we have built thus far," commented Coach Kallhoff.  Next action for the Eagles includes a trip west on Thursday to take on the Ainsworth Bulldogs and then the short trip east to take on the 10-0 Bulldogs of Creighton.  


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