Eagles Grab Road Victory

The Eagle men improved to 8-6 on the year with their third straight victory of the second semester this past Saturday. The Eagles defeated conference opponent Calvary Bible College 80-63 in Belton, MO, in the Eagles only game this week. The Eagles were able to win the game despite a short bench, as starter Jon Luke Talton along with reserves Cooper Rodman and James Stephenson were out with injuries. Captain Jon Rocha was also unable to make the trip due to his responsibilities serving in the National Guard. 

Faith jumped out to a quick 14-6 lead four minutes into the game, stretching the lead to as much as 15 with seven minutes to play in the half. With four and a half to play, Jordan Marshall knocked down a jumper to give the Eagles an 11 point lead, but the Eagles would go cold from the floor for nearly the rest of the half. Calvary took advantage, putting together a 6-1 run to pull within six with 20 seconds to play. The Eagles took a timeout, and out of the timeout ran a play in which Timothy O'Tool found Cody Chaffin for what would be the Eagles only three point basket of the game with a second left. The three gave Faith a nine point lead at the break. The second half was nearly identical to the first, with the Eagles maintaining their lead throughout. Every time Calvary would make a run, the Eagles would respond with their own to stretch the lead back to double digits, winning by the 17 point final margin. "The men did a great job of fighting through some cold spells and stepping up to the challenge whenever Calvary made a run. It was good to see them respond that way, especially having to play extended minutes with the injuries we have right now," noted coach Fincham.

Jordan Marshall had one of his best overall games as an Eagle. The junior point guard, playing through a sprained wrist, handed out six assists, grabbed two steals and two rebounds, was perfect from the free throw line, and scored eight points. "Jordan did a great job all night of keeping us organized and on task with the game plan. He really facilitated our game on both ends," said Fincham. O'Tool also had a great game for the Eagles, scoring 19 points while grabbing 18 rebounds, including eight offensive. Aaron Leistikow put together another complete game, leading the Eagles in scoring with 21, while grabbing 10 rebounds, three steals, four blocks, and handing out three assists. Chaffin added 16 for the Eagles including that pivotal three at the end of the first half. Chaffin also did a nice job distributing the ball, finding his teammates five times for an assist. Eric Young continued his solid junior campaign, scoring 12 points including a perfect 4/4 from the line. Young also grabbed two steals and had two blocks.

Faith returns to action Tuesday against a surging Crossroads College team. Crossroads has won five of their last six games. The Eagles and Knights will tip off at 6 PM in the Nettleton Center. Tuesday night is also Orange Leaf night. A portion of all purchases between 7 and 10 PM at the Orange Leaf on 18th street will go towards the Eagles trip to the ACCA National Tournament in March so come out and catch the game, and follow it up with a sweet treat at Orange Leaf!