C/G LADY EAGLES BURY RURAL VISTA IN SEASON OPENER

ESPINOZA SCORES 27, TEAM MAKES 11 3’s

By Staff

          CANTON – The Canton/Galva girls basketball team could not have asked for a better start to the 2025/26 season as they dominated Rural Vista on Friday in rolling to a 45-point, 68-23 win.

          “I was really proud of our ladies,” noted Lady Eagle head coach Dave Ediger. “They played with great intensity from the start and once they got rolling it was fun to watch.”

          From the opening quarter when the Lady Eagles fired out to a 23-4 lead they dominated the game, pushing the advantage to 42 points at 52-10 by the time they hit the halftime break.

          Letting up on the gas in the second half, Canton/Galva cruised to the final 68-23 vicory.

          Coach Ediger continued by saying, “They played really well together, sharing the ball offensively, covering the floor defensively and hitting the offensive boards which gave us several second and third chance shots.”

          Senior Trinity Espinoza led the Lady Eagles with 27 points while Faith McMannis and Malia Hoppes joined her in double digits with 15 and 12 points, respectively.

          The Lady Eagles connected on an amazing 11 three-pointers in the game with Malia Hoppes getting all her points off four made three-pointers. Both Espinoza and McMannis each connected on three with Aaliyah Skipworth getting the other.

About the shooting, coach Ediger stated, “We shot the ball really well. Making those 11 three-point shots helped us set up our full court press, which was very effective.”                                        

          Up this week for the Lady Eagles will be the Goessel Bluebird Pre-Season Classic Tournament where they are scheduled to play Linn on Monday, December 8 followed by a tangle with Goeseel on Tuesday, December 9 before battling with Hutchinson Central Christian on Saturday, December 13.

          Finishing up his reflections on the season opener, coach Ediger added, “Everyone got into the game and logged several minutes. It was great to see the returning players cheer on the younger ones when they were having success. Before the game we talked about playing up to our standards no matter the situation and we feel the girls did that very well tonight.”

FRIDAY, DEC. 5 – vs Rural Vista

SCORING = Lady Eagles won 68-23.

Lady Eagles = 23-29-10-6 = 68; Rural Vista = 4-6-4-9 = 23.

LADY EAGLE INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS =

Scoring (68) = Trinity Espinoza – 27; Faith McMannis – 15; Malia Hoppes – 12; Charlee Moddelmog – 4; Aaliyah Skipworth – 3; Emerson Hoppes, Lilly Dieker, Brynn Kruse – 2; Mackinlee Hoppes – 1.

3-Pointers Made (11) = Malia Hoppes – 4; Espinoza, McMannis – 3; Skipworth – 1.

No other stats were available.