By William / www.mcpherson-county-ks.com
MOUNDRIDGE = While it was a good test to start the season, it did not go as hoped for the Elyria Christian Lady Eagles on Friday as they dropped their first game of the season by 14, 37-23, on the road at Moundridge.
“I was glad to get a good test for our first game of the season,” explained Lady Eagle head coach Greg Fields. “Moundridge is a very solid team, and I can see them being another state qualifying team this year.”
Elyria only trailed by one point, 6-5, at the end of the first quarter before the Lady Wildcats pulled out to an eight-point, 17-9, advantage heading into the halftime break.
Moundridge added seven points to their lead in the third quarter by doubling up on the Elyria points 14-7 before cruising in for the final 14-point, 37-23 win over the Lady Eagles.
While no Lady Eagles reached double digits in the scorebook, Kylee Penner led the way with eight points followed by Ryland Hawkinson who came off the bench to score six.
Penner also lead Elyria in rebounds with five while KiLynn Starburg paved the way with three assists and three steals.
Despite the loss, Coach Fields was pleased with the performance adding, “Other than a couple of one- or two-minute stretches, I was very happy with the defense we played. We did not get as many steals as we would normally get, but they are a very disciplined team who will not make a lot of mistakes. We did get our hands on a lot of their passes, and I felt like we were as disruptive as we could be. We were a little too aggressive on defense, as we got into some foul trouble in the first half, and we weren’t aggressive enough on our offense.”
Offensively, the Lady Eagles shot just 27% from the field while the Lady Wildcats hit on 41% of their shots. Elyria was out rebounded 17-12 and recorded fourteen turnovers plus fourteen personal fouls compared to the home team’s four and six, respectively.
Coach Fields concluded his post-game reflections by saying, “We are going to have to settle down and relax on our open shots. I know that we are a better shooting team than what we showed tonight, and I think that will show as the season goes on.”
WHAT’S NEXT FOR ELYRIA CHRISTIAN LADY EAGLES?
Next up for the Lady Eagles will be another strong test as they face top-ranked Little River in the first round of the Bluebird Classic in Goessel on Monday, December 6.
ELYRIA CHRISTIAN LADY EAGLES at Moundridge
SCORING: 1 2 3 4 FINAL
LADY EAGLES 5 4 7 7 63
Moundridge 6 11 14 6 37
TEAM STATS: LADY EAGLES Moundridge
Shooting 9/33 14/34
3-Pointers 3/14 2/11
Free Throws 2/3 7/8
Rebounds (Off/Def) 12 (1/11) 17 (8/9)
Assists 8 0
Turnovers 14 4
Steals 6 0
Blocked Shots 2 2
Personal Fouls 14 6
ELYRIA CHRISTIAN LADY EAGLES INDIVIDUAL SCORING & STAT LEADERS:
Scoring (23 Total Points): Kylee Penner – 8; Ryland Hawkinson – 6; Allie Stone – 4; Alexus Swenson – 3; Macy Reiff – 2.
Three-Pointers Made (3): Alexus Swenson, Kylee Penner, Allie Stone – 1.
Rebound Leaders: Kylee Penner – 5; Macy Reiff – 3; Alexus Swenson, Allie Stone, Ryland Hawkinson – 1.
Assist Leader: KiLynn Starburg – 3; Allie Stone – 2; Olivia Clark, Alexus Swenson, Kylee Penner – 1.
Leader in Steals: KiLynn Starburg – 3; Allie Stone, Olivia Clark, Ryland Hawkinson – 1.
Leader in Blocked Shots: KiLynn Starburg, Ryland Hawkinson – 1.
{www.mcpherson-county-ks.com is looking for Elyria Christian Eagle SPONSORS to help cover costs – to help keep continue your school’s activity postings – inquiry by email to William at crossdovewriter@gmail.com}