Flying Eagles vs. Red Hawks Recap
Your Lady Eagle put on a show against the Catawba Valley Red Hawks this past Wednesday, winning with a final score of 74-73. This bout was evenly fought throughout its entirety, which saw the Flying Eagles with a 1-point lead at the end of the first quarter. Toward the middle of the 2nd quarter, the Lady Eagles took a 7-point lead when Freshman Larae Grove hit a 3-pointer and a layup within a minute of each other to push the Eagles out front 33-28 at the break. Coming out of the break, both teams were hot. The Eagles, who shot 60% from the field and from three-point range during the 3rd, raced out to 50 points with 6 minutes left in the 3rd. This run included three 3-pointers for Larae Grove. Going into the 4th, the Lady Eagles were up 59-52. The Lady Red Hawks were again able to go on a 9-point run to cut the Eagle lead to 4 with 5 minutes left. Not even 2 minutes later, they were tied at 69 apiece. With less than a minute left in this nail-biter, Grove would go on to get her 5th foul on a blocking call, ending her 21-point performance a bit earlier than wanted. Luckily for SWCC, the Red Hawks would go on to miss both free throws, keeping it a 3-point game with 12.2 seconds left. Catawba Valley would go on to intentionally foul to get possession back, but Madison McClain sealed the game by going 1 for 2, putting the Eagles in a 4-point lead with less than 6 seconds to go. Catawba Valley was able to throw the ball in and shoot a quick three to cut the lead to 1. But thinking on their toes, Braylin Steele threw the ball into Amber Kimberlin in the midst of the confusion to watch the final three seconds drip from the clock, securing the 74-73 win over the Red Hawks. The Lady Eagles were on an uphill climb going into this game, missing their starting shooting guard, Maddie Day, to illness, and playing against a team that previously beat them by 20. The Eagles pulled together and played as one to secure the victory and continue their hope of finishing the year with 20 wins. When asked about this victory, coach Thad Lambert had to say, "It was a hard-fought game on both ends of the court. We were shorthanded due to sickness, but the girls fought hard down the stretch and made big plays when we needed them." Your Lady Eagles will return to action on February 24th, where they will travel to Bryant and Stratton College. Tip-off will be at 1:00 p.m.