Taylor Smith, Sports Editor
On December 22nd, the Eagle Grove boys’ basketball team started their winter break on a high note with a dramatic overtime win against visiting Manson-NW Webster.
Early on, the lengthy Cougars feasted on the offensive glass and took a brief lead, but Adrian Whipple’s steady hand and a few 1st quarter threes by Braylon Kling put EGHS back up. Senior Issiac Williams would also grab an offensive board and turn it into an old fashioned three-point play in the 1st.
The Eagles extended their lead to double-digits in the 2nd quarter after Gavin Pedersen drilled a corner three, but Manson slowly began to chip away and trailed by only three at the half.
The visitors would eventually retake the lead on a go-ahead three from Isaiah Daggett in the 4th quarter. They led 62-55 at a point, but a timely triple from Williams brought EG back within four.
MNW then scored another two points, but a three by Whipple cut that deficit to three. Whip dialed in AGAIN from deep to tie the game at 66-66 with 47 seconds on the clock.
Next, Eagle Grove’s stifling defense forced a Cougar shot clock violation and the purple and gold took over with 10.6 seconds remaining. However, they failed to convert on a potential game-winner, and the game went to overtime.
Neither team managed to score a basket in the first two minutes of overtime, but the Cougars finally broke the ice with a two-point field goal. The situation looked dire for Eagle Grove when Whipple had to briefly exit the game to tend to his bloody nose, but he soon checked back in, drew a foul, and calmly sank a pair of free throws to tie the contest at 68.
With less than 45 seconds left in OT, Gavin Pedersen found Kling in the corner and Braylon buried a contested three to put his team up 71-68.
Whipple sealed the deal at the charity stripe, and Eagle Grove won, 73-68.
“I’m very proud of the way this group competed,” Coach Ryan Pedersen said after the win. ”We all made some mistakes, but we stayed together, trusted each other, and kept fighting for every possession. When it mattered most, they locked in, made the tough plays, and hit some big shots. We showed a lot of grit and heart. It was a great team win. We will all enjoy a much-needed Christmas break.”
Whipple led all scorers with 29 points. He shot 63% from distance and also had three assists and three steals.
Pedersen added 21 points, ten boards, four assists, and a block.
Williams contributed ten points on perfect shooting and grabbed seven boards. Kling scored nine in the win.
“I believe this team still has a lot left to show,” Pedersen commented when asked about his outlook for 2026. “We’ll use the break to make a few adjustments, clean up some areas, and continue to grow. I’m really excited about where we’re headed and can’t wait for the second half of the season.”
The Eagles currently sit at 2-6 and will return to their home court on January 5th in a non-conference game against West Bend-Mallard (2-4).
