On February 5th, two longtime Wright County rivals met on neutral territory for a night of spectacular basketball. Hoops enthusiasts from Eagle Grove flocked to Wells Fargo Arena to watch the boys and girls varsity teams lace up and compete for local bragging rights against Clarion-Goldfield-Dows.
After a winter pep rally at EGHS, school dismissed two hours early to allow students and families ample time to make the trip to Des Moines. A free pep bus sponsored by Eagle Grove Pharmacy and coordinated by the Eagle Grove Student Council was also available for community members and students who needed a lift.
The girls hoopers would take the court first, looking for their first victory of the season after falling to North Iowa last Friday. Myah Edwards scored the first two points for EG and neither team appeared to have a problem adjusting to playing in a larger venue.
Nadia Kaiser, one of the team’s vocal leaders, shouldered the scoring duties in the 1st half. She was lights out from distance and had 10 points by the time the Eagles went to the locker room. All of the players were operating as a cohesive unit and the purple and gold led 28-26.
CGD responded with a scoring surge in the 3rd quarter and managed to retake the lead, but a calm and collected Chloe Steil righted the ship for EGHS. Steil scored the bulk of her game-high 18 points in the 3rd quarter, but Eagle Grove trailed 46-44 with 8 minutes to play.
As expected, the game went down to the wire in the 4th. Both teams traded blows and Calli Steil sank two cold blooded free throws in crunch time to give EGHS a 55-54 advantage with 25 seconds to play.
The pesky Cowgirls would find a way to get to the line and reclaim the lead for good. The Eagle Grove girls played their most inspired basketball of the season and turned in their highest scoring output, but fell in the closing seconds by a single point.
The boys came into the contest with a .500 record after a much needed weekend victory over the North Iowa Bison. Everyone touched the ball for EGHS in the 1st quarter and the squad led 15-9. Drake Canavan was able to get to his spots and led the Eagles in the 1st half. Guard Jaxon Morris chipped a tooth after a collision, but checked right back into the game and hit an inside shot to give the Eagles a 25-21 halftime lead.
CGD went on a 10-0 run to start the 3rd. Tyreon Franklin and Nolan Krauss stopped the bleeding with a couple of three pointers, but the Cowboys had Eagle Grove’s number and ran away with a 51-46 victory.
Canavan had 11 points to lead EGHS. Morris added 10 points. Krauss and Franklin each had 9, while Josh Miller scored 5. Jake Jeske contributed 2 points and pulled down 3 rebounds.
Despite the outcome, the Eagle Grove fans, cheerleaders, students, Golden Stars, parents and teachers all provided an ovation for the dedicated players, coaches, and managers of the basketball teams.
