Taylor Smith, Sports Editor
Last Tuesday, the Eagle Grove girls basketball team (3-12 overall, 1-8 conference) bested Belmond-Klemme (3-11 overall, 0-8 conference) to secure their first Top of Iowa Conference win of 2025-26.
“We executed our game plan and battled all 32 minutes,” Coach Zach Whipple commented after his team overcame Belmond-Klemme, 57-48. “We were up big early, and then we got sloppy and lazy. Belmond took advantage of that and led at the half. I challenged my girls at halftime, and they responded. Taytum Edwards gave us a big spark offensively in her first game back [from injury].”
Edwards, who missed three games with an ankle injury, went off for a game-high 24 points. She drained six triples and had four steals.
“Ellie [Lenning] and Myka [Anderson] were major factors in our win on the defensive side. They had 14 steals between the two of them,” Whipple added. “Kendra [Schild] took two massive charges that really lit a fire under the girls as well.”
Lenning finished with 13 points, 9 boards, 6 assists, and 5 steals. Myka Anderson added another 11 points, 9 steals, and 5 assists.
The girls had a day off from competition on Wednesday, but they were in Britt on Thursday to face the West Hancock Eagles (6-8 overall, 4-7 conference).
West Hancock would win the game, but with her second made three-pointer of the contest, Eagle Grove sophomore Taytum Edwards broke an Eagle Grove High School record.
With her 67th career three-ball, Edwards eclipsed Hannah Sampson’s school record of 66 three-pointers made in a career. Edwards now has 69 career triples to her name.
Sampson was a 2021 graduate of EGHS.
“I’m so proud of Taytum for breaking the career three-pointers made record,” said Coach Whipple. “It’s incredible only to be a sophomore and break a record like that. She puts so many hours in the gym behind-the-scenes that nobody sees. It’s nice to see it paying off.”
Edwards had 12 points and a steal against West Hancock. Myka Anderson contributed 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.
On Thursday, the girls will be in Algona to take on (1A) #2 Bishop Garrigan (13-2 overall, 9-1 conference).
