Hustle Takes the Stage in Early Season Efforts

By Jon Crossman 

ANKENY, Iowa - The fans at Faith have never been known to disappoint at home games, making for a perfect factor in the season kickoff for the Eagles. The Faith Invitational Tournament allowed the lady Eagles to get a feel for some teams from in and outside of their conference--a good warmup for the hurricane of games to come the rest of the season. Faith squared off against Trinity Bible College in their first game of the tourney, and then rivaled against Randall University in their second. Both games resulted in an unfortunate loss, with the Eagles still managing to put up an average of 46.5 points per game and keep the energy alive in the gym.

The Eagles headed into the season with a roster of mostly freshmen athletes, leaving lots of room open for new players to step up and engage head on with the collegiate level of playing. Among these players is Donnecia King, who started as forward in both games of the tournament. Other starters were Alicia Smith, Rachel Kleczka, Makenna Laib, and Morgan Stephens. 

The first game started out with a series of offensive misfires for both teams, with Trinity and Faith each giving up the ball through turnovers and missed shots before the first bucket was finally scored 1:55 into the game. Trinity answered with two 3-point plays, pulling away to keep the lead at 16-11 at the end of the first quarter. Rachel Kleczka came up big in the second quarter, turning the crank for the Eagles offense with a silencing six points out of the gate and getting Faith back in the lead. More 3-point magic from the Trinity starters put the game back to an uphill battle for the Eagles, as they ended the half down by eight to the Lions.

The second half began with a rallying triple from Makenna Laib, the first of the game for Faith, inspiring the defense to collect more rebounds and fuel another attempt at gaining the lead. The remainder of the 3rd quarter see-sawed between each team rectifying themselves as the leader, ending with Trinity sitting at 44-40. Going into the final quarter with only a four-point deficit, the Eagles started playing more gutsy with the ball in the opposing end, leading to some ill-timed passes and foul trouble from trying to regain possession. Trinity began to pull away (58-51) again with 2:07 remaining in the game, leaving very little time to mount a strong comeback. The final dagger came in a free throw from the Lions' Brenna Anderson, ending the game 51-59 for the first loss of the season. 

Faith looked to get some momentum back in the game against Randall University, and it appeared Randall had the same idea in keeping their momentum off a previous 69-53 victory over Ozark Christian College. Randall took over control early on, pressuring the Eagles' ball handlers into giving up six turnovers in just the first quarter. Mary Yarnell, another freshman for the Eagles, entered the game and badgered the Saints defense into giving up a rebound and an easy jumper, the Eagles first points in the second quarter. Following the basket, Randall went on a shooting streak, putting up 11 unanswered points before ending the half up 46-25.

Even with the sizable deficit to start the second half, the lady Eagles continued to hustle from offense to defense after every play, preventing Randall's sharpshooters from running up the score with easy shots. Amazing positioning by Faith's defense allowed for several good steals and finishes halfway through the third quarter, leaving it all up to the 4th to decide if a comeback was possible. Missed jumpers and more turnovers (nine TO's in the 4th quarter) blockaded the movement of crucial scoring plays for Faith, burying any chances at a resurgence. The final score came out to 90-42 for Randall, giving the Eagles their second game to draw up new strategies and learn from for future matches.

The first losses of the season are by no means a sign of breaking for the ladies team, and if anything show a promise of growth through practice and improvement on the things that didn't go as planned. When asked about his thoughts of the gameplay, Coach Monty Kaufman showed his confidence in the girls ability to outwork future opponents, providing a statement on the outlook of the weekend: "Hustle is this team's middle name! I never have to tell them to play hard in practice or in games. That showed this weekend even though we came up short in both games. With five returning players and six new players, we are growing in teamwork, and each player is committed to improving every day. This is a great team to coach!".

The ladies will have plenty of time to prepare, with almost two weeks until their next matchup at Maranatha Baptist University. The Eagles will play the Sabercats December 4th, at 4 p.m.