Smith Scores Nine in Senior Night Victory

By Jon Crossman

ANKENY, Iowa – The sole senior on the Faith women's basketball squad had her moment to shine last Friday evening, as the stands were packed with fans to cheer on the team in a special Senior Night bout against the visiting CCCB Saints. Alicia Smith is playing in her fourth year on the team, serving as a co-captain, and showing outstanding leadership for the particularly young group of Eagles. She helped lead the team to another win against the Saints on the momentous night, snapping a three-game losing streak and adding another conference win as the postseason looms.

The Faith starters were dominant for the majority of the game, asserting a strong 9-point lead after the buzzer sounded for the first quarter and sitting comfortably at 45% shooting. They outscored the Saints in all except the final quarter. The Eagles made up for poor shooting beyond the arc (1-11) with a greatly improved free throw performance, making 17 for 22 from the foul line and scoring over half of their points in the final quarter off free throws alone. The tale of the tape was what happened in the paint, with 40 of Faith's points happening directly under the rim. Center Rachel Kleczka's 27-point performance was credited to most of the 40 points scored inside the box, exemplifying what has become just another average night for the leading scorer for the Eagles. Faith held on throughout the final 28-point blitz from the Saints, taking the night with a 68-58 victory.

Leading the Eagles was Rachel Kleczka with her 27 points, followed by Makenna Laib (15), Sarah Iler (10), and the senior star of the night, Alicia Smith (9). Donnie King with her 5 assists and Sarah Iler with 4 set up the team for success in the oppositions end, and Kleczka with her 8 rebounds and King (11) cleaned up nicely on rebounding.

Eagles lose momentum against Kansas

By Jon Crossman

OVERLAND PARK, Kansas – Another home win followed by a loss on the road showcases the unfortunate season-long pattern that has kept the Eagles from finding a win streak so far. The ladies just could not seem to catch fire against the Kansas Christian's backcourt defense, leading to another disappointing defeat on the road.

The game started out with a fairly hushed show of competition, with both teams courteously turning the ball over to the other a number of times before the first point of the game finally came from a Kansas Christian free throw. Faith kept it close through the first half, rivaling the Falcon's shooting with their own 43% FG in the first quarter. The lady Eagles outrebounded Kansas 26-17 for the initial half, hoping to cut down the Kansas lead before the halftime buzzer by outworking their opposition on the fast break. Each team had a depleted arsenal leading up to the buzzer, making for a low-scoring second quarter and eventually a 1-point game going into the second, 26-27.

The ladies remained consistent to start the second half, again scoring 11 points in the third quarter. Consistency was unfortunately not the key for this game however, as the Eagles needed to find some spark to survive and boost themselves past KCC's own 19 points in the same quarter. Heading into the final quarter, the Eagles needed a good break to start scoring quickly before the clock ran down. The Kansas defense knew the drill, and with enough hands-up defense, the Faith shooters had no luck in finding a scoring rhythm. Only 5 points were picked up by the Eagles in the final quarter, spurred on by an unusually poor FG of 12.5%. With not enough momentum to carry them through to a comeback, the Eagles conceded their second game of the season versus Kansas Christian, 59-42.

Makenna Laib led the charge with 20 points, with Mary Yarnell providing 12 points of her own off the bench. Rachel Klezcka hauled in 10 rebounds and three blocks for the Eagles.

The Eagles return home for a week of practicing up for the MCCC Tournament, with the event starting on February 18 in Dubuque, Iowa.