Ladies head into region tourney with 9-11 record
Feb. 23, the North Idaho College lady Cardinals flew into the BDAC and straight into an energized Eagle team they were not prepared for. According to Coach Dave Paur, they came in thinking they would get two wins.
This archived article was written by: Scott Frederick
Feb. 23, the North Idaho College lady Cardinals flew into the BDAC and straight into an energized Eagle team they were not prepared for. According to Coach Dave Paur, they came in thinking they would get two wins.
The game started with both teams looking evenly matched. At halftime the score was tied at 37. But the second half was a different story. The full-court press by the Eagles wore down the Cardinals and prevented them from getting good looks down the stretch. The hard-nosed defense also opened up scoring opportunities for the Eagles in transition which they took advantage of and won convincingly 90-70.
Elisha Harris led the Eagles in scoring with 19 points, 12 of them coming from 3-pointers. Also in double digits Mallory Holm had 12, Halee Rasmussen and Haley Rogers each had 11.
Our chemistry is good right now, explained Holm, we communicate a lot on the floor, no one is selfish and we try to get the ball to whomever is open.
Feb. 24, was much the same with the Eagles playing hard defense, getting lots of points from beyond the arc and excellent play in the paint.
The guard play by CEU was solid with Rasmussen leading all scorers with three threes, three field goals and two free throws for 17 points. Harris knocked down four threes and two field goals, picking up 16 points. Rogers got into double digits going four for nine from the field and two for two from the line for 10.
Stacie Little had a double double with six field goals for 12 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.
Our practices have been 85 percent defense and 15 percent offense, explained Holm. The wins against NIC have shown we have success when we play well as a team.
The Eagles were loose and scrappy, getting to the ball quickly on defense and setting up their big women for some points under the basket.
Because of a halftime featuring a junior cheerleading exhibition, the BDAC was the place to be that night. A near capacity crowd watched and cheered the ladies as they defeated a good Cardinal team in the last home game of the season.
In the final weekend of conference play, CEU met the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls last Friday and Saturday nights.
On Friday night, March 3, the CSI Golden Eagles must have remembered how the CEU Eagles beat them by 20 points on Jan. 26 in Price and decided to return the favor with CSI handing CEU a 24-point, 72-96 loss.
CSI is the hottest team in the conference, Paur said, and they were ready for us. They are capable of beating anyone right now, even Salt Lake Community College.
We played hard, and CSI did too. I am pleased with our team, they could have given up after the losses to SLCC, but they continue to practice and play hard.
CSI’s Maria Moore tore us apart, Paur said. We couldn’t stop her. Moore had 23 points, seven rebounds, 11 assists and four steals.
For CEU, Harris had 26 points to lead all scorers, grabbed nine rebounds, dished four assists and had three steals.
Rasmussen also got into double-digit scoring with 13 points.
Saturday night, CSI also dominated CEU and won the game 87-68. These were great games, said Paur. With more than 3,000 people in attendance, and both teams pressing the entire game, it was a wild time.
Again Moore led CSI in scoring with one three, six field goals and going six for six from the line for 21. She also pulled down 12 rebounds, added five assists and grabbed a steal.
For CEU Harris had 14 points with Erin Richardson close behind with 12.
In both games we were down nine points with about five minutes to play, Paur said, and then they just pulled away.
We are going to the region tournament with a lot of confidence, Holm said. Everyone is playing and contributing and we are gelling as a team. We feel that right now we are peaking and the conference championship is up for grabs. Besides, there is nothing to do in Ephraim but play our best basketball.
The first region tournament game is Thursday, March 8, in Ephraim. The fifth-seeded Eagles will take on the fourth-seeded Badgers at 7:30 p.m.
