By Staff

            LOST SPRINGS – On Saturday, the Elyria Christian boys made it a school sweep at the Centre Cougar Classic by pounding Class 3A Douglass by 30 points with a 65-35 win and a claim to the Cougar Classic Championship just like the Lady Eagles did earlier in the afternoon.

            Now 10-2 for the season, the Eagles will have 10 days to enjoy the championship and prep for their return to the competitive hardwood on Tuesday, January 31 at Wakefield.

            “Tonight we saw so many of the things we have been drilling in practice come together,” pointed out Eagle head coach Zach Goodrich. “It is special to see that and rewarding our guys. Douglass is a solid Class 3A team who plays in a tough league, and I was excited to get the chance to play against a physical team like they are.”

            The Eagles jumped out to a seven-point, 10-3, lead at the end of the first quarter before pouring 30 points in the scorebook in the second quarter to take a 30-point, 40-10 advantage going into the halftime break. In the second half each team scored 25 points as Elyria cruised in for the Classic championship trophy.

            Elyria was led by three Eagles in scoring as Ty Romero, Johnny Unruh, and James Schott each scored 15 points with Alex Robertson just missing double digits with nine. Both Romero and Robertson connected on three three-pointers as the team made nine total in the game.

            Unruh directed much of the Eagle offense as he dished out a team high seven assists while Landon Schneider and Romero topped Elyria in the paint with six and five rebounds, respectively.

            Coach Goodrich concluded his reflections on the big win by adding, “Johnny (Unruh), James (Schott), and Ty (Romero) all finished with 15 points as Johnny continues to provide good leadership for sure and has been very consistent in his play. James defended really well and made some big offensive plays down the stretch and Ty continues to bring a spark off the bench and is finding multiple ways to score. I also want to mention Caleb Laney and the solid decision making he exhibited for us this week and putting the ball where it needs to be at the right time. Our entire team put forth great effort this week on both ends of the floor.”

ELYRIA CHRISTIAN EAGLES vs. Douglass at Centre Cougar Classic

SCORING: EAGLES > 10-30-15-10 = 65; Douglass > 3-7-16-9 = 35.

TEAM STATS: EAGLES > 2-FGs – 17/24; 3-PTs – 9/19; FTs – 4/10; AST – 16; REBs – 26; TO – 8; STLs – 10; BLKs – 2; FLs – 18.  Douglass > 2-FGs – 10/27; 3-PTs – 4/12; FTs – 3/9; AST – 7; REBs – 26; TO – 16; STLs – 4; BLKs – 2; FLs – 14.

ELYRIA CHRISTIAN EAGLES INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS: Scoring > Ty Romero – 15; Johnny Unruh – 15; James Schott – 15; Alex Robertson – 9; Caleb Laney – 5; Axton Fields – 2; Landon Schneider – 2; Silas Redenbaugh – 2.  3-Pointers Made > Romero, A. Robertson – 3; Unruh – 2; Laney – 1.  Assists > Unruh – 7; Romero – 4; Schneider – 2.  Rebounds > Schneider – 6; Romero – 5; Schott, A. Robertson, Gavin Robertson – 3; Unruh – 2. Steals > A. Robertson – 3; Romero, Schneider – 2.  Blocked Shots > Unruh, A. Robertson – 1.

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