Comeback Effort Falls Short in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Missouri—Another valiant attempt at a miraculous comeback came up just short for the Faith Eagles men's basketball team on Friday night, as the team fell by the score of 91-85 to Barclay College in the first match of 2021.

After battling to a 25-24 lead midway through the first half, the Eagles and Bears were neck and neck all the way until the 3:44 mark. With the Eagles trailing by only two, Barclay mounted a devastating 19-2 run to close out the half with a 54-35 lead, fueled by five steals in the closing minutes.

The second half was an uphill battle for Faith, but no task has seemed insurmountable for this group as they have thrived in these situations each of the last two seasons. The Eagles chipped away at the lead throughout the half, but Barclay kept answering. With five minutes remaining, Faith made its final charge at another amazing comeback, cutting a nine-point deficit to just two with 2:11 to play. Unfortunately, for the Eagles, Barclay was clutch at the free throw line and iced the game away in the closing minutes.

In the end, the turnover margin was the killer for the Eagles. Faith turned the ball over 22 times, compared to six for Barclay. The Bears turned the Eagles' mistakes into 28 points. Faith shot the ball well, connecting on 52.2% of its shots overall, including 10-20 from three point distance. Faith outrebounded Barclay, 39-25. The Eagles had a balanced scoring attack, led by Kalab Sidlinger with 19 points. He was followed by Jared Pearson and Noah Boyer with 15 each, Jayce Goergen with 12, Jason Conable with 11, Carson Odle with 7, and Alex Owens with 6.

With the loss, the Eagles fell to 3-5 on the season. Their next game is Tuesday at Emmaus Bible College at 6 p.m.