A Well-Played Double Header

The Eagles traveled to Florissant, MO. to face off against the Soldiers of Saint Louis Christian. Having faced them first semester and having won big, the coaching staff tried to get across the importance of not overlooking this opponent. The decision was made to rest starter Skyler Sandry, who had been battling some injuries. In his place was placed speedster, Kyle Pikaart.

The game started smoothly with the offense running well and the team playing unselfishly. However, the Soldiers stayed close on the score board as the Eagles were a bit slow on help defense. Almost playing nonchalantly, the Eagles spent the first half exchanging baskets before going into the locker room with a slim lead.

Encouraged by the coaches to play so that they would be satisfied at the end of the game, Emmaus came out sharing the ball and fighting for every possession. With his co-captain sitting out, Junior Caleb Ruter took charge and shot 10-14 from the field and 8-9 from the line to finish with 28 points. Freshmen Nathan Davidson had a strong showing with 13 point, 11 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks.

The turnaround would be quick with Emmaus sleeping in Missouri and driving home in the morning to prepare to face off against Faith Baptist Bible College. This would be quite the test for the Eagles as they battled not only tiredness, but injuries all around. With only 3 players not hurt in some way, Coach Wilkerson preached playing hard and playing smart before the game. " I told them that it would be a challenge. They would have to play the best game they had played all year. I knew they were tired and hurt, but it could not be used as an excuse. I let them know that I didn't care how the game ended if they worked together and gave it their all."

The men did exactly that and more, coming out pumped up and excited to play a very good team in Faith. The Eagles showed they would not be pushed over on their home court and jumped out to an early lead. Communication on defense and execution on offense saw contested shots for Faith and wide open shots for Emmaus. However, the shooting slump continued as the Eagles could not find the bottom of the rim. The exception was Sandry, who ended the game shooting 10 for 18 from the field including 5-10 from the 3 point line. Despite the bad shooting, Emmaus held their home court in the first half and entered the locker room up by 3.

The coaches praised their team, but always made it clear that it would take the same effort and more to finish out the game. Again, the Eagles responded and built on their lead to start the second half. However, some missed defense assignments and lack of setting up the offense allowed Faith to get back in the game. When starter Trevor Donnelly fouled out with lots of time to play, the Eagles were never able to recover and Faith walked away with a 73-64 victory.

In the locker room after the game, Coach Wilkerson told the men that they had no reason to hang their heads. "They played their best game of the season, in spite of all the injuries and other circumstances. We lost by 9 tonight, but it was a much closer game. If a couple more shots had fallen and a couple decisions made different, we could have walked away with the game." Wilkerson added that he was very proud of the team as they were finally starting to trust each other and sacrifice the individual for the better of the team.

The Eagles fall to 6-5 on the season and will take on a tough opponent in Maranatha Baptist on Tuesday, January 20^th at 7:00.