Thursday, February 8, 2018

Lady Eagles drop two at home

The Oran High School girls basketball teams lost twice last night against the visiting Saxony Lutheran Crusaders.  The junior varsity fell 48-36 and the varsity led after three but ended up losing 64-59.

In the opener, Oran trailed 12-8 after the first period and was behind 20-17 at the half.  They would get no closer and ended up losing by 12 as they tasted defeat for the first time this season.

Coach Ethan Evans said, "We came out of the gate a little shaky but turned it around in the 2nd quarter to make it a close game. We had some costly turnovers in the 3rd quarter and we need to do a better job of handling pressure."

Savannah Below topped her team with 11 points, she hit two treys.

Taylor Lowes scored eight, including a three-pointer, Katie Webb added seven.  Heather Gosche put in five.  Kennedi McVay knocked down one from beyond the arc for her points.  Paige Bradley and Mallory Lowes, each hit a free throw to round out the scoring for the JV Lady Eagles, who are now 6-1.  They will be back in action tonight at East Prairie for a two-quarter conference contest that starts at 6 pm.

Going into the varsity game, Eagle nation knew it would take a superior effort to pull off a victory over the regional powerhouse Lady Crusaders.

The two teams met in early January for the championship of the Delta New Year's Tournament and Saxony cruised to a 66-38 win.

Last night, Oran fell just short.  The two teams played an even first quarter (13-13).  The home team managed a 26-24 lead heading into the halftime locker rooms.  The Eagles were still up 34-33 entering the final eight minutes.  But the size and depth of the visitors proved too much as Oran dropped a heartbreaker by five points.

Coach Evans commented, "This game was a battle from start to finish. I thought we played a very good game both offensively and defensively but their height just got to us late in the game. I am very proud of the effort and determination the girls displayed all night long."

Leah Cauble led all scorers with 30.  She hit 12 of those points from beyond the arc and made six of seven from the line and grabbed a team-high eight boards.  Jessie Long scored 10 points, was two of two from three and had six rebounds.

Kaylee Payne, who did not play in the first meeting, ended up with nine points, all of which came from beyond the arc.  She added five rebounds, three assists and two steals.  Claire Ramsey hit two three's for her six points and dished out a team-high four assists.  Madison Ramsey recorded her three points by knocking one down from long range,  Kaitlyn Streeter hit a free throw to round out the Eagles' scoring.

Oran was 12-22 for 55% from distance, but only 7 of 23 inside the arc (30%).  From the line, they hit 9 of 12 for 75%.

The varsity is now 15-4 and will put it's 20 game conference winning streak on the line tonight at East Prairie, following the abbreviated junior varsity contest.








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