The bad news is the Kingman Lady Eagles got only one victory Jan. 26-28 at the Wildcat Classic at Haven.
The good news is they found their mojo.
The Eagles played their best defense yet in their fifth place game against Cheney but a lack of offense late in the game cost them a victory. Cheney won, 38-35.
The game was a defensive struggle from the start. The Eagles played a man-to-man so smothering that they probably knew what flavor gum their counterparts were chewing, a la the movie, “Hoosiers.”
The Cardinals preferred a zone defense, which has caused problems for Kingman’s offense this season. The first quarter ended in an 8-8 tie.
No one scored in the second quarter until the 4:46 mark, when Dani Molitor hit a pair of free throws to break the deadlock. The Eagles were up three points at halftime and up eight points after three quarters.
Cheney is young – especially without senior Payton Scheer, out with injury – but once they caught a break or two, their confidence flourished.
Freshman guard Taylor Denney hit a three-pointer that brought Cheney’s fans to life in the fourth quarter. She then stole the ball, got it to a teammate who was fouled while shooting and the Cardinals added another point.
Slowly but surely Cheney gained ground. Kingman, which attacked Cheney’s zone defense successfully early, got tentative.
When the Eagles did get shots, they missed. Molitor hit a jumper with less than four minutes to play. Two minutes later, Katelynn Martine made the front end of a one-and-one. Those were the only points Kingman scored in the fourth quarter, when Cheney outscored them 14-3.
Kingman missed five free throws. Cheney made six. That’s how close this one was. Martine scored 15 points and Molitor had 11. Coach Justin Batt said his team did a better job offensively against the zone than it had in an opening round, 40-33 loss to Moundridge. And fatigue – three games in three days – contributed at the end.
“We’ve got to make good decisions when we’re tired,” Batt said. “We don’t.”
Kingman’s lone victory came in the second round against Nickerson. The Panthers’ man-to-man defense allowed the Eagles’ offense to thrive in the 60-48 victory. Martine scored 23 points and post player Madison Bangert had 18 points.
The Eagles’ loss to Moundridge was a hard-fought game against the eventual tournament champion. Overall, Batt was pleased with his squad’s tournament play. The Eagles moved to 6-7 overall.
“I think we’re getting closer (to finishing games),” Batt said. “We’re not there yet. I kind of see it in their eyes. It’s starting to make sense.”
The good news is they found their mojo.
The Eagles played their best defense yet in their fifth place game against Cheney but a lack of offense late in the game cost them a victory. Cheney won, 38-35.
The game was a defensive struggle from the start. The Eagles played a man-to-man so smothering that they probably knew what flavor gum their counterparts were chewing, a la the movie, “Hoosiers.”
The Cardinals preferred a zone defense, which has caused problems for Kingman’s offense this season. The first quarter ended in an 8-8 tie.
No one scored in the second quarter until the 4:46 mark, when Dani Molitor hit a pair of free throws to break the deadlock. The Eagles were up three points at halftime and up eight points after three quarters.
Cheney is young – especially without senior Payton Scheer, out with injury – but once they caught a break or two, their confidence flourished.
Freshman guard Taylor Denney hit a three-pointer that brought Cheney’s fans to life in the fourth quarter. She then stole the ball, got it to a teammate who was fouled while shooting and the Cardinals added another point.
Slowly but surely Cheney gained ground. Kingman, which attacked Cheney’s zone defense successfully early, got tentative.
When the Eagles did get shots, they missed. Molitor hit a jumper with less than four minutes to play. Two minutes later, Katelynn Martine made the front end of a one-and-one. Those were the only points Kingman scored in the fourth quarter, when Cheney outscored them 14-3.
Kingman missed five free throws. Cheney made six. That’s how close this one was. Martine scored 15 points and Molitor had 11. Coach Justin Batt said his team did a better job offensively against the zone than it had in an opening round, 40-33 loss to Moundridge. And fatigue – three games in three days – contributed at the end.
“We’ve got to make good decisions when we’re tired,” Batt said. “We don’t.”
Kingman’s lone victory came in the second round against Nickerson. The Panthers’ man-to-man defense allowed the Eagles’ offense to thrive in the 60-48 victory. Martine scored 23 points and post player Madison Bangert had 18 points.
The Eagles’ loss to Moundridge was a hard-fought game against the eventual tournament champion. Overall, Batt was pleased with his squad’s tournament play. The Eagles moved to 6-7 overall.
“I think we’re getting closer (to finishing games),” Batt said. “We’re not there yet. I kind of see it in their eyes. It’s starting to make sense.”
