Eagles Endure Through Shorthanded Struggles

By Jon Crossman

HAVILAND, Kansas – The road has shown very little kindness toward the Eagles' season results, with two more losses over the weekend adding to the list. An early loss to Barclay College came at the hands of Barclay's star Jamia Jackson (38 points, 7 steals) and a late foul sealed the close game for the Manhattan Thunder. The Eagles competed with just eight players on the roster amidst health and safety protocols holding back several key players. Even with a depleted bench, the Eagles still held their own against the competition, outrebounding the Barclay Bears and stymying Manhattan to a hair-raising three-point victory.

With players out, a lot of the scoring pressure and support for veterans like Makenna Laib and Rachel Kleczka fell on the shoulders of the younger Eagles. Mary Yarnell proved herself to be a strong answer to the shorthanded Eagles, scoring a cool 11 points through the weekend and helping the team tremendously with 19 rebounds. Her prowess as a post player this season has proven to be complimentary to Rachel Kleczka's team impact, where the two work together or interchangeably to keep the ball in the hands of the Eagles. Makenna Laib kept the course in her contribution, delving out some much-needed consistency in her 18-point average and point guard leadership. Her 19 rebounds evidenced some healthy transition to a power forward role, with Sarah Iler filling in with 14 rebounds of her own.

The Eagles have one more game on the road before returning home, having played their last home game over two weeks ago. They will play next at Emmaus Bible College on January 25, starting at 4:00 p.m.