Eagles Basketball Recap (December 5-9)

This past week was one of major excitement for Golden Eagle basketball. On Tuesday, the East Surry Cardinals came to The Nest looking to add some W's to their win column.  This was also the mind set of the Golden Eagles. When the Varsity games came around, The Nest was roaring and ready to go, and it stayed that way all night. The Girls game was close until the final seconds. The Cardinals hit a free throw and went up by one. Then Cassidy Joyner got the ball and drove the full length of the court and hit a buzzer-beater lay-up.

Next, the Boys had a back-and-forth tempo until the final minute. The Eagles held the ball for the last shot in a tied game.  With about two seconds left, the ball was passed to Ethan Wilmoth. Wilmoth shot up a long three with two men on him, and the shot found the bottom of the net for the second buzzer-beater win of the night. 

On Wednesday, the Eagles went back to work on their game for another tough conference match up against North Surry. This game was going to especially tough for the Lady Eagles who were playing North Surry's undefeated Girls, while the boys hoped to keep their winning streak alive. The first half for the Girls was a bit of a struggle. But in the second half, as they always seem to do, the Girls started to  pick it back up by scoring a bunch of points. Unfortunately,  the Lady Greyhounds were able to keep up with the Lady Eagles and handed them just their third loss of the season. The Boys game was a close one for much of the first half. Then, in the second half the Eagles went on a couple of high scoring runs, including 25-10 in the third quarter. The Greyhounds couldn't keep up which resulted in a big win for the Eagles.





Jess Wilmoth

Determined to Win

     Before Tuesday's game versus East Surry, Cassidy Joyner had one thing in mind, to win.

     Whistles blew, the crowd hushed, and every eye in the gym was on Cassidy Joyner.  A mid-air collision put the Lady Eagles's sharp shooter on the floor, leaving her with a bloody chin and, later, fifteen stitches.  Many thought she was out for the game.  Even Joyner herself had doubts about her return, but her determination was too much for the seemingly game-ending injury.  Before anyone realized it, some quick numbing and a newly bandaged chin had number 2 back in the game in the second quarter.  New life was brought to the team.  Although the star played cautiously at times, she played well, leading Central to a 4th quarter rally. 
     It seemed like an impossible feat.  Yet, it was the moment that any athlete dreams of.  Down by one, 4.1 seconds left and the entire court away from their basket.  Joyner called for the ball and got it.  She charged down the court, weaving through Cardinal defenders, and put in the game-winning lay up!  Crowd cheering, Cardinals shocked, and Cassidy on top.
     She later said, "I knew I could make it, we do a drill in practice where we have to make it from one end of the floor to the other in four seconds or less".  She KNEW she could make it.  She was determined to make it, determined to win.

Forest Kimbrell - SCSID

Dual Buzzer-Beaters Highlight Wild Night of Basketball

Tuesday night East Surry came to one of the loudest High School gyms in the conference. All the fans was pumped for the game. Both the boys and girls varsity were trailing by double digits late into the 4th quarter. Both games would come down to the last second. Cassidy Joyner came back onto the court after getting hurt early in the game. When East Surry got to shoot free throws, it was hard for them to concentate with all the loud screaming from the fans. When we tied the game with less than 10 seconds left, the place was going crazy. With less than 10 seconds left East Surry got fouled. They made 1 out of 2 shots. Cassidy got the ball and made a lay-up at the buzzer to win the game for the Eagles. The boys were in the same situation. They were down by double digits and were looking for a win. With the fans cheering them on, they were able to tie the game. The plan was to hold the ball and take a last second shot. It was either make it and win or miss and go into OT. As time was running down, they held the ball for the last shot. They passed it to Ethan Wilmoth, and he made the game winning shot. After the game everyone stormed the court with excitement. Two buzzer-shot games in one night, you don't see or hear about that happening a lot of times. It will be a night the teams will not forget for a while.

Hogan Coe - SCSID

Lady Eagles fall to Bishop McGuinness

Our Lady Eagles took on Bishop McGuinness Friday night.  The Ladies started out strong by taking an early 6-1 lead.  It seemed that Central would overpower the opponent in the first 2 minutes.  Unfortunately, after a Bishop timeout, the Villains brought their A-game.  Their constant fast break offense and tremendous shooting left the Eagles on the short end of a 28-5 scoring run.  In the second half, the teams were well matched, but the first half deficit led to a tough 56-42 loss.

SCSID- Forest Kimbrell

Lady Eagles Prevail Againts Prep

Tuesday, November 29th, was an exciting night for the Lady Eagles.  The match up against WS Prep began with a bit of sloppy play by Central.  "Unforced turnovers and untimely fouls got us frazzled", said Coach Holt.  Fortunately, the girls pulled it together at halftime by focusing on their man-to-man defense and press break.  Coach Holt stressed to keep their composure and that is exactly what the girls did.  They played with passion until the very end, pulling out a 56-52 Lady Eagles victory.

Forest Kimbrell

SCSID - Staff Reporter