CANTON/GALVA LADY EAGLE BASKETBALL

LADY EAGLES PROPEL PAST WICHITA INDEPENDENT, 40-33

By Staff

            CANTON – The Canton/Galva girls took a huge first quarter to propel themselves into earning a seven-point, 40-33, win over Wichita Independent in the first game of their Class 1A Division I sub-state playoffs.

            With the victory, the sub-state seventh-seed Lady Eagles are now 11-10 for the season and will tangle with Rosalia/Flint Hills on Saturday in the  semi-finals of the sub-state playoffs. Rosalia/Flint Hills is the second seed and carries a 13-6 record for the season. The winner will then play in the sub-state finals against the  winner of the game matching Olpe (12-7, 3rd seed) and Colony Crest (11-7, 6th seed).

            “We couldn’t have started better offensively by hitting five threes in the first period,” noted Lady Eagle head coach David Ediger. “That was really the difference in the game.”

            Canton/Galva roared out to an eight-point, 19-11, lead by the end of  the first quarter and had an eight-point, 24-16, advantage at the halftime break. Wichita Independent knocked a couple of points of their deficit, 30-24, by the end of the third quarter before the Lady Eagles put the game away for the final seven-point, 40-33 win.

            Coach Ediger talked about the positives of the game when he said, “We shot really well from the free throw line, going 12-14 for the game. We also kept our turnovers down and rebounded really well, limiting Independent’s second chances while getting several of our own.”

            Malia Hoppes led the Lady Eagles by scoring with 15 points thanks to three three-pointers. Rae Hawkinson and Trinity Espinoza just missed double digits with nine and eight points, respectively.

            Concluding his post-game reflections, Coach Ediger noted, “The first game of the playoffs is a tough one to play, especially when you are supposed to win. Our girls came out ready to play and never looked back. The student section gave us a lot of energy, which we greatly appreciated. We now look forward to the challenge in the semi-finals playing at Rosalia/Flint Hills.”

LADY EAGLES hosting Wichita Independent, Sub-State, Monday, February 24

SCORING = Lady Eagles won 40-33.

Lady Eagles = 19-5-6-10 = 40; Wichita Independent = 11-5-8-9 = 33.

LADY EAGLE INDIVIDUAL SCORING = Malia Hoppes – 15; Rae Hawkinson – 9; Trinity Espinoza – 8; MaKinlee Hoppes – 6; Emerson Hoppes – 2. 3-Pointers Made (6) = Mal. Hoppes – 3; Mak. Hoppes – 2; Hawkinson – 1.

(The Staff covering McPherson County Activities can be reached by email at macks.people.places@gmail.com)