Ladies Find Their Stride in Fourth Straight Victory

By Jon Crossman

ANKENY, Iowa— After a full month away from playing in front of the home crowd, the Eagles have finally returned to stick the landing on another thrilling win. The ladies recorded their greatest victory of the season in terms of point differential, heaping on a generous 30-point victory against the visiting Eagles of Emmaus Bible College. This win marks a turning point in the season for Faith, with this being the perfect game they needed to get back into the right stride after a scoring slump before the break. It also marks their fourth victory in a row, the highest win streak so far on the season, with the win over Maranatha back in December getting the ball rolling for Faith's confidence. 

A stalwart defensive line proved itself in the Eagles' win, with quick hands and strong communication sealing away the early lead. Mikayla Jones paved the way with five quick points in the initial moments of the game, building a successful foundation for Faith to keep building on with a 17-5 score heading into the second quarter. 

The ladies kept true to their defensive tactics throughout the game, sneaking in a total of 21 team steals on the Emmaus ball handlers. Jones led again with six steals of her own, converting quick reflexes into a steady stream of buckets on the other end of the court. Team shooting was at a season-high of 52.8% throughout the game, with 38 points in the paint helping out with accuracy. Even with the plethora of perimeter shots, the Eagles still found a way to stay hot beyond the arc as well, with a dagger from Chloe Emslie highlighting the memorable night.

Makenna Laib and Mikayla Jones each poured in 15 points to lead Faith scorers, with Belle Wirges, Whitney Whacker, Grace Bolyard, Tina Harms, and Kayla Stephens all scoring six points each. Faith Clark added two points to round out the scoring. Rachel Kleczka led all players with 8 rebounds, followed closely by 5 rebounds from the scrappy Kayla Stephens. Chloe Emslie shined through with 5 assists, adding to her stellar performance off the bench for the Eagles. 

The ladies look to continue their upward progress with a weekend of games in Kansas City, playing Calvary University first on January 13, starting at 4:00 p.m.