Taylor Smith, Sports Editor
The Eagle Grove boys’ basketball team dropped to 1-4 after a pair of tough Week 2 losses at the hands of ranked opponents.
On Monday night, the purple and gold took the bus to Boone County for a battle against the undefeated (1A) #5 Madrid Tigers. The 2025 1A state champs won handily vs. Eagle Grove, 65-28.
Adrian Whipple was the only Eagle to score in double digits. He had 16 points and four steals.
Junior forward Gavin Pedersen contributed six points, six rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.
After a few days of practice, the Eagles had their hands full again when the (1A) #2 Bishop Garrigan Bears came to the Grove on Friday night for a Top of Iowa-West showdown.
The score was knotted at 24 at the half, but the Golden Bears put up 22 points in the 4th quarter and crept away with a 64-51 win.
Whipple finished with 18 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
After going 0-for-6 against Madrid, senior Braylon Kling bounced back and shot 70% from the field for 17 points. Pedersen added four points and nine boards.
Senior leaders Elijah Friedl and Issiac Williams each had eight rebounds in the loss.
