The purple and gold started their boys varsity basketball season with a crowd pleaser on Monday night at Clarion-Goldfield-Dows High School.
In the opening minutes, the Eagle Grove offense tore through CGD like a buzzsaw. A Jaxon Morris layup got the Eagles on the board, and an Abraham Lin triple made it 5-0. Morris followed that with a three of his own and dropped in a layup for good measure. Trailing 10-0, the Cowboys called a timeout to reassess.
The Cowboy offense slowly came to life, but Adrian Whipple banked in a three off an assist from Morris that subdued the CGD crowd. Morris had another trey before the quarter finished and finished the first eight minutes with 12 points.
Late in the 2nd quarter, a balanced CGD attack helped them gradually chip away at the lead. Lin nailed a three from the corner, but CGD’s JD Morrical responded with a layup to bring his team within three.
In the 2nd half, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows began to capitalize on their length and picked up a few advantageous whistles. They took their first lead, but Morris came off a screen and swished a shot behind the arc. Gavin Pedersen made a bunny inside, but the Cowboys still led 41-37 after three quarters.
The Eagles weren’t finished, however, and an inside shot from Josh Miller tied the contest in the 4th quarter. Whipple drained a three to give them back the lead, and both teams traded buckets as time dwindled from the clock.
With the outcome on the line, Morris and Whipple hit crucial free throws, and the Eagles escaped with a 53-47 win over their Wright County rivals.
Morris finished with a team high 21 points. Lin added 13, and Whipple dropped in 11.
