​Eagles rout Chrisman 85-18 in first game on new court

by Michael Smith


Grain Valley head girls basketball coach Randy Draper and his players were excited to begin a new era on Monday.

The Eagles played their first home game in the new gymnasium against William Chrisman, and they put on a show, forcing 33 turnovers and scoring 48 points on the fast break in a 85-18 rout.

The basketball court is longer and wider than the old one and much cleaner according to Draper and his players.

“The best part about this court is the floor isn’t dusty,” Grain Valley senior Camryn Kelly said. “I feel like we will be more of a defensive team this year because we’re not standing in place for 10 seconds trying to catch our balance.”

The extra length of the court has also been another benefit, according to Draper as the players have had to run the extra distance in practice when running fast-break drills in practice.

“I joked we would have to put water stations on the court,” Draper said. “It’s a longer distance to run. It’s really accelerated our conditioning.”

The extra endurance gained by the Eagles was apparent in the contest against the Bears as they beat the opponent up and down the floor and suffocated them on defense.

Chrisman didn’t score its first points until the 7:40 mark in the second quarter. Grain Valley forced 16 turnovers in the first 8 minutes alone and took a 27-0 lead at the end of the period and took a 47-3 lead into halftime.

Even with a big lead, Grain Valley didn’t let up as it extended the lead to 74-11 going into the fourth, which triggered a running clock.

“We are trying to prepare for other teams because our conference isn’t as challenging as we would like it to be,” said Kelly, who had a team-high 13 points. “We use games like this to portray how we would play a tougher team. Before the game, we talked about how we would play like we would against Rock Bridge, which is one of our biggest competitors in our district.”

Added Draper: ““We don’t do a lot of running just to run. If we run, it’s with a ball. We press. We try to melt you. It’s part of who we are. They don’t get tired often. They are used to it.”

Because of the big lead, Draper was able to get 15 different players in the game, including some listed on the junior varsity roster. The Eagles finished with 37 points from their bench players, led by senior Neveah Clausen’s 11.

​Rust added 11 points and junior Addy Seyfert had 10.

Grain Valley senior forward Keyonna Bullock, left, tries to drive to the basket while William Chrisman's Samantha Soule defends. Photo credit: Michael Smith

Grain Valley junior Addy Seyfert searches for an open teammate while William Chrisman senior Elayjah Murray defends. Photo credit: Michael Smith

Grain Valley sophomore Madison Rust makes a leaping pass as sophomore Bella Bollinger awaits under the basket. Photo credit: Michael Smith