Strong Comeback Win in First ACCA Tournament Game

The Emmaus Eagles' basketball teams embarked for the ACCA national tournament a day early as weather in Dubuque was threatening to delay them. After arriving on Tuesday afternoon, both teams got a practice in at a local gym. Having run through all the plays with multiple guys at different positions, the coaches felt confident about how the rotations would work in their opening round matchup against Welch. 

Prior to the game were a few events. First was the ACCA banquet which was where the conference awards were presented. The Eagles represented very well with Skyler Sandry receiving second team All-American and Madison Laib and Caleb Ruter both receiving first team honors. The second event was the skills competition which featured 4 of our players in the 3-point contest: Madision Laib and Rachel West for the ladies and Skyler Sandry and Caleb Ruter for the men. All of the players represented well but Caleb Ruter stood out as in the first round as he only missed 3 shots and finished with a total of 15. Caleb moved on to the finals and again had a strong showing with 13 points and walked away the 2015 3-point winner.

After an exciting day of fellowship and awards, the men's team were ready to play. In the locker room before the game, Coach Wilkerson read a text and an email from 2 former players, Simeon Beil and James Knapp, which stated that they were still thinking and praying about the team even though they were miles away. One message that was delivered from the coaches was that it would take a complete game to win. Team basketball would need to played by everyone.

Though focused and excited, Emmaus came out very flat to start the game. On the offense end, shots that would normally fall did not but the more concerning aspect was the lack of intensity and communication on defense. As a result of the breakdown defensively, Welch shot 63% in the first half, mostly on wide open shots and layups. Both coaches agreed that the Eagles were very fortunate to enter the half only down 6.

At the break, Coach Wilkerson called out the team for their lack of drive and teamwork. He made it clear that if they did not pick it up, they would not win the game. His parting words as he left the locker room was that Emmaus was the better team but they needed to play like they were.

Like the team has usually done all season, they responded to start the second half. The defense looked like a completely different team than the first half and guys were being disciplined and working together. Because of these things and the spectacular play from freshman Trevor Donnelly, the Eagles slowly worked their way back into the game. With minutes to play, Emmaus did something that they lacked in previous games: They finished the game strong on the offense and defensive end. With the win in sight, the team breathed a sigh of relief and celebrated in the locker room. The coaches came in and congratulated the team on their strong second half, one that saw them put up their most points of the season with 53. Skyler Sandry and Caleb Ruter led the way with 27 points and Trevor Donnelly had his career high with 22 points.  

The Eagles do not get much time to rest as they face off today at 4:45 against a very strong Hillsdale team.