PYLE & PRESCOTT TO LEAD ELYRIA

LADY EAGLES AIM FOR SUCCESS in 2025/26

By Staff

          ELYRIA – It was a sometimes-rough season for the Elyria Christian girls’ basketball program in 2024/25 as they played with as few as seven players yet still managed to finish the season at 12-10 that included a 7-1 mark in Wheat State League play.

          Leading the Elyria Christian girls’ program for now the thirteenth season is Greg Fields. Fields has secured an overall record of 153-109 after finishing the 2024/25 season 12-10 and a loss to South Haven in their Class 1A Division II sub-state. Fields will be helped on the sideline by Sarah Swenson and Allie Stone.

          What the Lady Eagles will need to do is replace three graduates including leading scorer Addison Swenson who hit for 10.5 points per game last season, along with Londyn Olsen and Carly Joe Rohaus.

          Coach Fields will be short on varsity game time experience with a bunch of incoming freshmen, he does have a solid group of five to build the team around, including  junior Joy Pyle and senior Grace Prescott.

          At five-foot-eleven, Pyle give the Lady Eagles some length and grit under the basket where Pyle secured 10.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.2 blocked shots per game a year ago. According to coach Fields, “Joy has been so fun to watch her improvement the past two seasons as she gets better at every phase of the game, a trend that will show this season. Her aggressiveness will increase and she will be able to impose her will on her opponents. With her length, Joy protects the basket while having a soft touch around the rim. She has developed a nice mid-range shot and can even be a threat from the three-point line.”

          Grace Prescott may be short at just five-foot-two, but the senior was an outstanding leader last season while being very quick. She rang up 6.5 points, dished out 5.0 assists and swiped 3.3 steals per game while being a nuisance for any opponent. Fields noted, “Grace has the ability to break a press by herself but then is quick to get her teammates involved as well. She is both a vocal leader as well as a leader by the example of her play. Grace sets the tone for the pace our team will operate at.”

          Juniors Amelia Moody and Kami Noggle combined for 3.3 points, and 2.3 rebounds per game coming off the bench last season. Both will look to improve their stats. According to coach Fields, “Kami has put in a lot of work during the off-season and has become a great defender which will make things difficult for opponents. She can also be a significant threat from the outside on offense. Amelia gained a lot of experience last season and is solid on offense by not trying to do too much and not turning the ball over. She is very scrappy and seems to be in the right place to get critical rebounds when needed.”

          Haven Bower is still new to the game of basketball and according to coach Fields, “did not play much varsity a year ago while showing significant improvement as the season progressed. Haven worked her way in to playing time in several varsity games by the end of last season and has continued to show improvement this off-season. We are expecting her to be a major contributor this season with her length and aggressiveness.”

          “I am looking forward to another year with this group of girls who love to compete,” explained coach Fields while reflecting on the season ahead. “We have a great freshman class coming in with a lot of girls who have great attitudes and understand the importance of working hard on defense. While I do not want to single out any of the freshmen yet, I have no doubts that there will be several making significant contributions on varsity this season.”

          Concluding his preseason outlook, Fields added, “We have a lot of very talented and highly ranked teams on our schedule this season, so we will have many challenges, but I am so excited to see how this team responds to the pressure.”

          The Lady Eagles is scheduled to open the 2025/26 season with a game on Tuesday, December 2 at Wichita Classical followed by a trip to Moundridge, the Class 2A State champions, on Friday, December 5. After that the Lady Eagles will play in the Goessel Bluebird Pre-Season Classic beginning on Tuesday, December 9 through Saturday, December 13 with their first two games against Hutchinson Central Christian and Little River, Class 1A Division I runner-up last season..  

LADY EAGLES LOST TO GRADUATION: Addison Swenson (10.5 ppg); Londyn Olsen; Carly Joe Rohaus.

LADY EAGLE TOP RETURNEES:

Joy Pyle – 5’11”, Jr, 10.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.2 bpg

Grace Prescott – 5’2”, Sr, 6.5 ppg, 5.0 apg, 3.3 spg

Kami Noggle – 5’5”, Jr, 1.9 ppg, 1.2 spg

Amelia Moody – 5’6”, Jr, 1.4 ppg, 2.3 rbg

Haven Bower – 5’10” So

Kami Noggle (5’ 5’ Junior) 1.9 pts/gm, 1.2 stls/gm,

Amelia Moody (5’6” Junior) 1.4 pts/gm, 2.3 rbs/gm.

Haven Bower (5’10” Sophomore)

2025/26 LADY EAGLE SCHEDULE:

Tuesday, Dec. 2 – at Wichita Classical

Friday, Dec. 5 – at Moundridge

Tuesday, Dec. 9 – vs. Hutchinson Central Christian at Goessel Bluebird Pre-Season Classic

Friday, Dec. 12 – vs. Little River at Goessel Bluebird Pre-Season Classic

Saturday, Dec. 13 – vs. TBD at Goessel Bluebird Pre-Season Classic

Tuesday, Dec. 16 – at Remington

Friday, Dec. 19 – at Solomon

Friday, Jan. 2 – at Burrton

Tuesday, Jan. 6 – hosting Rural Vista

Friday, Jan. 9 – at Canton/Galva

Monday, Jan. 12 – at Reno County Sabres

Tuesday, Jan. 13 – hosting Peabody/Burns

Friday, Jan. 16 – hosting Centre

Tuesday, Jan. 20 – at Berean Academy Eli J. Walter Tournament

Thursday, Jan. 22 – at Berean Academy Eli J. Walter Tournament

Friday, Jan. 23 – at Berean Academy Eli J. Walter Tournament

Friday, Jan. 30 – at Berean Academy

Tuesday, Feb. 3 – hosting Wakefield

Friday, Feb. 6 – at Herington

Monday, Feb. 9 – hosting Wichita Central Christian Academy

Friday, Feb. 13 – hosting Little River (Homecoming)

Friday, Feb. 20 – hosting Halstead (Senior Night)

Tuesday, Feb. 24 – vs. TBD at Class 1A Division II Sub-State Quarterfinals

Monday, Mar. 2 – vs. TBD at  Class 1A Division II Sub-State Semifinals

Saturday, Mar. 7 – vs. TBD at Class 1A Division II Sub-State Finals

Wednesday-Saturday, Mar. 11-14 – Class 1A Division II State Tournament in Emporia

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