Lady Eagles drop home opener
By TERRY LIDY
There were plenty of first game jitters as the NCHS Lady Eagles and the St. Anthony Bulldogs kicked off the 2009-10 season last Thursday at the NCHS gym.
Turnovers and cold shooting dominated the opener as St. Anthony used an 11-10 run in the third quarter and then held off a Newton rally to prevail 33-27.
Coach Katie Lurkins started a senior, Joni Hahn, a sophomore Amy Koebele, and three freshmen in Megan Jansen, Morgan Swingler and Amy Bierman. With only Hahn and Koebele having varsity experience, the Lady Eagles will have to expect nights like this.
"You are going to expect turnovers and nervousness at the beginning, especially from those girls going straight from eighth grade or junior varsity games into this situation," said Lurkins.
St. Anthony came out firing three point shots and hit two in the opening quarter to take a 10-6 advantage. It was their only trifectas of the night. Meanwhile, Newton got 4 points from Amy Koebele and a basket by Mallory Kocher for their six.
Both teams remained cold in the second period as the Bulldogs scored only on a pair of free throws by Victoria Wolke and the Lady Eagles connected for two baskets. Freshman Morgan Swingler found the range and Amy Koebele scored the other field goal as Newton trailed 12-10 at the half.
Shooting only 15% in the first half, the Bulldogs warmed up in the third quarter and scored 12 points, while holding Newton to 5 points to take a 24-15 edge into the final stanza. After the Lady Eagles closed the gap to 16-15 in the third quarter thanks to an Amy Koebele basket and a three-pointer by freshman Terra Flowers, St. Anthony rolled off 11 straight points to take a 27-15 margin. From that point in the fourth quarter, the Lady Eagles rallied outscoring St. Anthony 12-6. However the comeback fell short in the home opener. Amy Koebele led the rally with 4 points in the final quarter, while Mallory Kocher connected for a three-pointer and Morgan Swingler and Amy Bierman added baskets. Megan Jansen converted a free throw as three freshman dented the scoring column for the first time.
Newton, like St. Anthony, finished the night shooting just over 25%. The Lady Eagles had ten baskets, two of which were of three-point value. They added 5 of 11 from the foul line. St. Anthony had eleven field goals with two from behind the arc. They converted only 9 of 19 from the line as Kelly McHugh and Victoria Wolke led the Bulldogs with 10 points each.
Amy Koebele of the Lady Eagles led all scorers with 12 points and rebounders with 11. Morgan Swingler added 7 rebounds. Mallory Kocher was second in scoring with 5 points. Morgan Swingler had 4. Terra Flowers had a three-pointer, while Amy Bierman had a basket and Megan Jansen converted a free throw for the Lady Eagles. Jansen and Kocher led in assists with two each.
Turnovers plagued both teams as the Lady Eagles committed 33 and the Bulldogs had 27. Coach Katie Lurkins dressed eight freshmen among the twelve players on the varsity roster. Sydney May saw action but did not score. Junior Brianna Nail and senior Joni Hahn also played, but did not score.
Katie Lurkins had praise for her young team. "Folding would have been easy down the stretch, but the girls decided they weren't going down that way. They turned up their defense and played some full court man-to-man. That's the kind of intensity we will need this season. A loss is always tough to handle, but I want this game to leave them hungry for the next one. The players have the dedication and desire. Once we get in the groove, I think we will find some success," added Lurkins.
Up next for Newton is the 31st Annual Bob Kerans Thanksgiving Tournament.
The Lady Eagles play Effingham on Tuesday. Then on Friday, they tangle with Flora at 3:00 p.m. after the Cumberland-Effingham game at 1:30. The tournament concludes on Saturday with Effingham versus Flora at 1:30 followed by the Newton-Cumberland contest at 3:00.
Junior Eagles have been busy
By TERRY LIDY
In junior high boys' basketball last week, the JCJH Eagles played three times opening with a Monday game at Flora. The seventh graders fell 43-7 to their host as Mike Carr scored 3 points and Blake Probst and Cody McCoy each had 2 points.
The eighth graders fared no better as they dropped a 52-40 decision. The Eagles trailed at all stops. They were down 16-14 after the first quarter and 31-22 at the half. After Flora led 42-29 after three periods, the Eagles outscored Flora 11-10 in the final quarter to make the final score.
On Tuesday, the Eagles returned home and won both games over the Stew-Stras Stars. The seventh graders won an overtime thriller 15-14, while the eighth graders had an easier time posting a 42-24 victory.
Kyle Dhom, Mike Carr and Wyatt Geier led the attack with 4 points each. Preston Street added 2 points and Bryan Spitzer converted a free throw.
In the eighth grade contest, the Eagles jumped out to a 15-7 margin and never were headed. They increased their lead to 22-11 at the half and 31-19 after three quarters to secure the victory.
On Thursday, the Eagles traveled to Teutopolis and ran into a Bootie buzz saw. The Eagles fell 60-8 in the seventh grade contest as Mike Carr led with 4 points and Kyle Dhom and Blake Probst each scored two. In the eighth grade game, the Eagles came up short by a 59-18 count.
Newton, Ill. —
