Back to Business: Eagles Start New Year with Balanced Success

By Jon Crossman

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – After an eventful week of practices and shaking off the rust of Christmas break, the Eagles hit the road again to compete in a post-holiday series in Kansas City. Faith encountered new rivals in their return to the season, meeting the Bears of Barclay College and the Manhattan Christian College Thunder for the first time this year.

Starting the weekend off against Barclay, the Eagles fought through some early pitfalls as they struggled to get back in a shooting rhythm, going 8-26 in the first half against a stiff Bears defense. Going into the second half down 26-44, the Eagles tried to find the energy for a comeback, outmuscling the Barclay centers with rebounds and hustle down the court. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to overcome the big deficit, as Faith's ball movement developed into a weapon against themselves with turnovers and shifty steals from the other team piling up in the fast pace of the game. Barclay turned Faith's 37 team turnovers into a daunting 52 points. The Eagles finished with their best foot forward in the final quarter, dropping 15 points to record their highest-scoring quarter of the game and ending the night with a 54-96 loss to their novel rival.

Hoping to find redemption from the loss, the Eagles played a very attack-based game plan against Manhattan from early on. The ladies got into a shooting rhythm after wrestling the 12-point lead away from the Thunder, using their opponents lack of reserves to draw fouls and capitalize on an impressive 8 of 10 free throws in just the first quarter. Both teams battled it out for a total of two more lead changes throughout the game, but Manhattan's timid defense due to unwanted fouls kept Faith on top until the final buzzer. Rookie Sarah Ihler brought the heat with her game-high 16 points, and the Eagles left with a satisfying 54-49 victory.

Ending the weekend series on a high note, the ladies return back to school until they board the shuttle again to play at Emmaus Bible College on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m.