This past Monday, the Eagles were set to face their crosstown rival in what would result in the most exciting series of the season thus far. Both teams, Varsity girls and Varsity boys, entered the gym on Monday with plans of leaving with a win. The Lady Eagles had something to prove as they looked to mend their conference record after a few losses and the Varsity Boys had every intention of keeping their conference record perfect.  With a packed gym and loud student section, the Eagles had the entire school backing them.

Varsity play started with the Varsity Girls. After a winnable loss to Halifax Academy on the previous Friday, the girls knew they needed a “W” on their record. The girls were up early in the 1^st quarter thanks to smart assists from Allison Barnes and easy buckets by Katie Gutshall. However, their momentum slowed a bit nearing the end of the half as defense struggled to cut off the lane. Despite the slowdown in the 2^nd quarter, the Lady Eagles came out swinging in the 3^rd with smoother transitions from the point guard, Julia High, which resulted in multiple points. The Lady Eagles emerged victorious with a score of 32-16. With half the season remaining, the Lady Eagles have seemed to find their groove. This is a totally different team than the one that started the season. We hope that the Varsity Girls take the energy from this win and finish conference play with force.

The gym was loud after the Varsity Girls’ game; the perfect condition for another Eagles’ win. The Varsity boys easily won the tip, but, after that, fell into a bit of a slump. The team struggled to make jump shots and textbook layups early in the 1^st quarter. However, this slump didn’t last long. The boys made several key steals and got the Patriots to commit careless fouls. The energy quickly changed in the Eagles’ favor when Sophomore Elijah McCadden slammed his first of five (yes, five) dunks that night. The stands were shaking with excitement as the Eagles continued to increase their lead with points scored by Brendan Acker, A.J. Mitchell, Kyle Holland, and Hunter Franks. It seemed as if nothing could stop the Eagles… and nothing could. Ball movement was the best it had been all season, there were less careless turnovers, more steals, and better press execution. With all of these factors working for the Eagles, the Patriots didn’t stand a chance. When the final buzzer sounded, the boys had the win with a score of 64-49. At this rate, the Eagles will win conference outright, as they are undefeated after this big “W”. We have high hopes for this team when it comes to post season play in February.