By Staff

            HOPE – It was a great way to close out the pre-Christmas schedule for the Elyria Christian boys as they played four quarters of consistent basketball on the road Tuesday in outdueling Rural Vista and getting a 17-point, 59-42 victory.

            With the win, the Eagles go into the Christmas break with a record of 5-2 and ranked number nine in Class 1A Division I. Elyria will return to the hardwood on Friday, January 6 with a home game hosting Canton/Galva.

            “It is always good to see different players step up,” pointed out Eagle head coach Zach Goodrich. “We had three different players hit double figures and two of them being recent additions to the varsity roster due to current injuries the past two weeks.”

            While James Schott led the Eagles in scoring with 15, both Blake Robertson and Dominick Lundberg also pitched in and reached double digits in the scorebook with Robertson getting 14 and Lundberg hitting for 10.

            According to the coaching staff, both Dominick (Lundberg) and Blake (Robertson) bring size and an inside presence to the team while they are both gaining confidence as the season progresses.

            Coach Goodrich added, “We are hoping that this stretch of strong play is only the beginning of adding more depth to our team. James (Schott) is one that we believe can consistently provide a scoring option inside for us. He has a knack for getting to the rim and passing to the open teammate, but there are some games where we want to see him be more aggressive to the basket and just score. Both Johnny (Unruh) and Landon (Schneider) provided a strong defensive presence for us and were able to find some driving lanes throughout the contest.”

            The Elyria coaches explained they were looking forward to the break and hoping everyone can be healthy upon the return.

            Coach Goodrich concluded his reflections on the upcoming break by saying, “This group has had some challenges and learning how to play without key pieces of the team, hopefully there has been growth that will only make us better towards the end of the season. When we return, we play Canton/Galva, it will be a well-coached team that will be a good challenge for us and allow us another opportunity to learn how to play against physical teams.”

ELYRIA CHRISTIAN EAGLE BOYS at Rural Vista

SCORING: EAGLES > 12-16-15-16=59; Rural Vista > 11-12-11-8=42.

ELYRIA CHRISTIAN EAGLES SCORING:

Scoring > James Schott – 15; Blake Robertson – 14; Dominick Lundberg – 10; Caleb Laney – 8; Johnny Unruh – 6; Landon Schneider – 6.

3-Pointers Made > Laney – 2; Schott – 1.

(The Staff covering McPherson County Activities can be reached by email at crossdovewriter@gmail.com)