​Eagles Savor Playoff Victory at Home

by John Unrein

 
     Grain Valley Eagles head basketball coach Andy Herbert was greeted by a round of applause returning to the court after meeting with his team and the media in the locker room. The clutch shooting of Nick Hooper and robust play by the three seniors on Herbert’s roster: Jayden Yung, Keeton Maxon, and Cole Keller, had just secured a 45-41 victory in the opening round of the Class 6 District 14 tournament against the visiting Lee’s Summit North Broncos on February 27th.
     You could not mistake the smile on Herbert’s face despite the mask he wore. The Eagles had stood toe to toe with the Broncos on the court and come out on top. In doing so, Grain Valley answered every challenge presented to them to advance in the playoffs. The Eagles produced 8 three pointers from behind the arc, countering the tightly packed zone defense played by the Broncos in attempting to eliminate Keller’s post presence. Herbert’s squad avoided foul trouble as well with no one on the team collecting more than three fouls while playing an aggressive brand of defense.
     Yung and Keller would make key steals during the secondary rotation of defense following the basketball that provided their team valuable extra possessions. Yung played the most complete game of his career as an Eagle with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Keller would join Yung’s stout effort by producing 10 points of his own, along with 4 rebounds, an assist, 4 steals, and 4 blocks.
     Keeton Maxon would not be left out of the senior scoring trio. Maxon produced the game winning shot from deep along the baseline with 1:31 left in the game. The basket gave Grain Valley a late 44-41 lead that they would not relinquish. Hooper was also impressive with his barrage from behind the three point stripe. All five of Hooper’s made baskets came from downtown. The junior guard for the Eagles would finish with 15 points, a rebound, 2 assists, and a steal.
     Herbert held dear after the game the resolve demonstrated by his team.
     “Jayden (Yung) was tremendous tonight. He was strong in his rebounding, passing, and the final free throw he made. Jayden has made it his game to attack creases and his judgment in doing so has been sound. I don’t think he came out of the game tonight, playing all 32 minutes,” Herbert said.
     “Hooper proved again tonight that he is the ultimate ‘glue guy.’ His five three pointers adding to that mix, three of which were in the first quarter, helped us answer the zone defense we faced. He has bounced back from the lull he faced in the middle of the season in a big way.”
     Herbert continued, “They (Lee’s Summit North) did a good job against Cole (Keller). They had a sound game plan and did what you should do against him. The tenacity Keller has as a competitor promoted the success he found tonight against the big and strong bodies for the Broncos down low.”
     “We as a coaching staff try to read what our team needs in what we say to them before the game. This group of kids has not been through this before collectively. The last thing you want for them is to be tight or nervous before they start playing. We were calm with our approach and what we said. I am so happy for this team and the lifetime memory tonight creates for them.”
     Lee’s Summit North’s leading scorers were Jeremy Moore and Mac Armstrong who contributed 17 and 14 points, respectively. Armstrong proved accurate when shooting open jump shots, while Armstrong was a load for the Eagles to handle in the lane. Grain Valley praised their opponent with their postgame comments along with celebrating their accomplishment.
     “We knew coming into the game that they would play zone defense well and that we would have to make our shots form the outside, and we did. Our outside shooting won us the game tonight. Number 22 (Jeremy Moore) played strong and I did not want to give him another ‘and one’ (free throw attempt from a foul after a made basket) as we got near the end,” Keller said.
     Hooper added, “I came out in warmups and felt good. I was given space and said, ‘Ok, I will start shooting’ and it continued after the first two baskets I made. This run we have been on is special in that we have been playing as a unit. We have not had to force anything.”
     Yung continued, “I did not want this to be my last game. I knew I was going to play as hard I could. This was a slow paced game offensively, with us swinging the ball around the perimeter against their zone. That created closeouts by them when they tried to get to our outside shooters. That was my signal for the three drives to the basket I made. Blue Springs is the next team we face, and they may be the best team we compete against all year.”
     Maxon finished, “I wanted to come back to practice Monday. That is what I was honestly thinking when I made the shot late in the game. That was my motivation.”
     Grain Valley (10-13) with their win over Lee’s Summit North (0-18) advances in the playoffs to next face the Blue Springs Wildcats at 7:00 pm on March 2nd.
     

Keller finds bottom of the net with post attempt.
Photo credit: John Overstreet

Jayden Yung drives the lane for a basket.
Photo credit: John Overstreet

Eagles celebrate playoff victory.
​Photo credit: Valley News staff