Shorthanded Eagles Fall To CCCB Saints

By Loretta Gamboe, Staff Writer

ANKENY, Iowa—With two of their regular starters out with injuries, the Faith Eagles struggled to keep up with the relentless offense of the Central Christian College of the Bible (CCCB) Saints on Friday night.  

The Saints shot well from the very start of the game, making 10 of their first 11 shots to gain a 21-13 lead.  The Eagles struggled against the Saints' full-court pressure, and multiple turnovers led to a 37-18 deficit 10 minutes into the game.  Despite shooting 50% from the field in the first half, the Eagles couldn't keep up with the Saints, who shot 78% from the field (32 for 41) and 72.7% from the 3-point line (8 for 11) in the first half. 

Going into the second half, the Eagles trailed 75-42, but they made some changes to their strategy and slowed down the Saints' offense while limiting their own turnovers.  In the first ten minutes, the Eagles played the Saints evenly, only allowing them to increase their lead by 2 points.  The Saints gained their biggest lead of the game, 123-74, with just under five minutes left in the game. The final score was 123-81. 

Guard Micah Stinson put forth a solid, well-rounded effort on Friday night, contributing 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.  Stinson averages 9.7 points per game, and this was the 11^th time he's put up double digits this season.  Stinson, a freshman who has been playing basketball since he was six, was disappointed with the outcome of the game.

"I think we did the best we could with the situation," said Stinson.  "Obviously, there are things we could have done better, could have shot better, could have had better defense…" 

Stinson says he plays basketball because he loves getting to hang out with his teammates, a great group of guys who all love God and all enjoy the sport of basketball.  "My favorite thing about Faith is probably the people," Stinson said in an interview Friday night.  "Everyone here is genuine about wanting to grow in their relationship with God— they're not fake." 

Stinson was one of four Eagles in double figures in scoring.  Chase Clark had 18 points and 12 rebounds while Kalab Sidlinger and Seth Brown put up 14 and 12 points respectively.