In a gritty performance by both teams, the Paris Lady Eagles and the Eagles senior high basketball teams swept the Ozark Hillbillies on November 17 at Paris Gymnasium.
The senior boys took control of their game and never trailed in the contest. Stiffeling defense and outstanding play by seniors Sam Muldrow and Jesse Wells led the way for the Eagles. Many others contributed in the win which was the best performance to date for the Eagles.
The Eagles’ first year head coach, Andrew Tencleve, said after the game, “We’ve got a long ways to go to get where we want to be, but we are progressing. Guys are giving good effort. We have to find a greater level of consistency before moving into conference play. We are happy that we are able to be winning games while figuring things out.”
The senior girls trailed early in their contest, but rallied behind a surprising full-court press defense that started early in the game and created points off of turnovers. The intense defensive effort by the Lady Eagles fueled their offense and both generated points off of defensive turnovers while also sparking energy on the offensive end.
After the game, Lady Eagles coach Jonathan Vire commented, “I thought our defense really bothered them. We were able to get lots of deflections and steals which led to some momentum swings. We got in foul trouble but we were able to fight through and found a way to get the win. Annabelle Perry fouled out early in the fourth but had a solid game on both ends of the floor. Brailey Forst had an outstanding game and came in clutch with some 1’s and huge free throws. Jayden Wells shot the ball very well. Kierstan Carter took a huge charge, Makalie Carter played big defensively. Kaydence Freeman had a solid game defensively and came up with some big steals and rebounds.”
Both teams will play in the Lavaca Tournament following the Thanksgiving break. The tournament will be held November 28- December 3 at Lavaca High School. Opponents and game times will be announced later.
