Men’s

Coupled with the expected hustle and bustle of the holiday season, winter break ushered in an especially busy few weeks for our men’s basketball team. While the rest of us rested with thoughts of cookies, good books, and vacations, the team prepared for a hard schedule.

Over winter break the basketball team had a total of five games scheduled two of which required that the team travel to Miami as part of the Adidas Holiday Slam Tournament. The tournament scheduled the men to first play Goucher College whom the Eagles beat at a score of 83 to 76. Two days later, the Eagles lost their second game of the tournament to the Hood College Blazers 71-56. Albeit the score, our Eagles played a great game. According to Junior Anthony Parenti the men traditionally “have struggled in years past” with Hood College but lost the game primarily due to “poor shooting as a team”. In the midst of a schedule that seems to have been physically and mentally demanding, Parenti and the team still saw the rest of the tournament trip off the court as “more or less a vacation.” Towards the end of their trip, the basketball team relaxed and enjoyed the sights and warmth of Miami.

Once back in the icy, bitter cold that early January brings, the team still had three games to play before classes started. The first game played against Albright proved to be close up until the ending stretch of the game when the men let up and were beat by just a few points. After the loss against Albright, the boys had a “comfortable” win over Penn State Brandywine. The next win against Bryn Athen brought the long stretch of winter break games to a triumphant close. The ease with which the boys won the Bryn Athen game assured Parenti who said, “With just conference games remaining on the schedule, we are confident at our chances to make a run at a conference championship this year.” If the success with which the men’s team played over winter break is any indication of their future, it seems that Parenti will stand correct and the conference championship is a real possibility for the Eagles.

Women’s

During winter break, while most of us were bundling up, trying to stay warm and recover from the prior semester, the women’s basketball team stayed together working hard and breaking a sweat. Over the winter break, the women’s basketball team stayed on their toes with a hectic schedule of five games, two of which required leaving the state.

On December 20 and 21, the team played two games in Orlando, Florida at the RDV Sportsplex. On December 20, the girls opened up the Division Three  (D3) Basketball Classic Tournament against a challenge—the second best team in the nation in D3, Hope College. The Eagles tried their best, but fell with a final score of 74-61. The next day, the Eagles turned their luck around in their game against the Mt. Aloysius College Mounties with a winning score of 68-42. Although, the team had a rocky start, the girls came back with an amazing turn around in the second half to secure the victory. Coach Nathan Davis stated, “I think we were pressing and trying a little too much instead of letting the offense come to us. That was the key for us in the second half—to play the way we’re capable of doing and to trust each other and let the offense happen naturally.”

Aside from games, some of the girls explained how they felt about their trip as a team. Hannah Day commented, “We had a chance to bond as a team outside of basketball in a really fun environment. It was really nice to be in Florida for a week and enjoy the warm weather, even though it was right before Christmas time!” Kayleigh Boreman, a team captain stated, “Florida was so much fun! We were able to go to Universal Studios and NBA City for dinner. When it came time for games we meant business and played hard. We played well in Florida and had a good time together.” Overall, the ladies had a wonderful time.

When the Eagles returned from their tournament, they prepared for three more games in the New Year before the start of the semester. On January 4, the Eagles played Neumann University and lost 67-50.  They then followed up with two wins January 7 and 9 against PSU- Brandywine (73-46) and Keystone College (73-64). With still ten more games scheduled in the season hopefully they can keep up their good work and make it into the Freedom Conference Semifinals and Championship on February 26 and March 1. Good Luck Ladies!