Flying Eagles outlast Hurricanes in OT
The Flying Eagles (2-1,2-0) battled with the Louisburg College Hurricanes (1-2,0-1) on Saturday afternoon at the King Center, and they did not disappoint, giving everyone a extra period of basketball, with the Flying Eagles finding a way to soar over the Hurricanes 89-82 and stay undefeated in Region X play.
The first quarter was even as both teams battled to establish their style of play. SWCC ended the quarter with a 17-13 lead. Once the 2nd quarter began, SWCC found their presence inside, and the defense stepped up and held Louisburg to only 10 points. Paige Niethammer led the way for the Flying Eagles with 37 points on an extremely efficient 14/17 from the field. Freshman Kierstin Johnson helped dominate the paint adding 14 points on 5 of 9 shooting. The pair helped the Flying Eagles establish a 15-point lead at the intermission.
However, the Hurricanes would use the intermission to warm up their shooting, especially from behind the arc. Louisburg opened the third quarter on a 10-2 run to quickly get themselves back into the game. Louisburg used a 28-11 third quarter to give themselves a 2-point lead heading into the 4th quarter.
The 4th became a battle of styles, with Louisburg continuing to shoot the outside shots and SWCC continuing to pound the ball into the post and get to the free throw line. SWCC outscored the Hurricanes 60-22 in the paint, including 15 second chance points, compared to just 5 for Louisburg, however Louisburg made 10 3 pointers on the afternoon versus only 2 for the Flying Eagles. With both teams executing to their liking, it would take an extra period to decide the final.
In the overtime period, the inside game of SWCC proved to be too much for the Hurricanes. The Flying Eagles were able to get to the free throw line in and seal the deal. SWCC was 21/37 from the line, whereas Louisburg was 14/19. SWCC outrebounded Louisburg 38-31, getting 19 of those from Niethammer. Johnson chipped in with 8 rebounds, and Freshman Haley Bailey added 3 offensive rebounds. Freshman point guard Tamila Francis continued to be a strong influence on the offense, adding 14 points and 8 rebounds.
Louisburg was led by Carolina Coria who put up 24 points on 8 of 17 from the field including 4 makes from behind the arc. Mackenzie Chabala added 17 points for the Hurricanes.
The Flying Eagles return to action on Tuesday when they make the trip to Milligan University. Tip-Off is set for 5:30 PM