​Eagles win over Belton on Senior Night

by Bill Althaus

​
As the final seconds ticked off the scoreboard clock at Grain Valley High School's gymnasium Friday night, five seniors enjoyed a memorable finish to a 62-40 Senior Night victory over Belton.

Pyper Hartigan, Navaeh Clausen, Ava Ferguson, Cam Kelly and Cara McHardie celebrated the big win while their teammates applauded and cheered from the bench.

Another senior, Keyanna Bullock, played earlier in the game and celebrated from the bench as had a minor injury.

"The last couple of minutes provided all the seniors a special moment," said Kelly, who finished with five points, while dominating the Pirates guards defensively. "To have five seniors out there at the end of our game gave all of us a memory we'll never forget."

The Eagles improved to 20-1 on the season and 10-0 in conference play.

When asked how many consecutive 20-win seasons his Eagles have enjoyed, coach Randy Draper said, "Let me check on that. I know it's been quite a few."

Winning and Eagles girls basketball have been synonymous for more than a decade.

And two sophomores made sure their senior teammates would enjoy their special night at Addy Seyfert scored a game-high 20 and Bella Bollinger added 12.

Ironically, Seyfert caught fire and scored 12 of her 20 points in the third quarter while Bellinger followed with a 12-point fourth quarter.

"This night is for our seniors," Seyfert said. "We got off to that (11-2) start and never let up. This was a game all of us wanted to win, and we used a team effort to do it." 

Bollinger said the fourth quarter kept from a disappointing performance on Senior Night.

"I had an off night until the fourth quarter," Bollinger said. "Then, when I made my first shot in the fourth quarter I felt more confident and finally started scoring some points. But this was a night for celebrating our seniors - and I'm glad I was finally able to contribute after not having much to offer for three quarters."

Belton did not hit a basket in the first quarter, scoring two points on free throws. The Pirates first basket came at 3:31 of the second 1quarter when Amaya Crowder hit a 3-pointer. She finished with four 3-point baskets and a team-high 19 points.

"Games like this are a lot of fun, especially when you win them," Draper said. "This group is special. First, they're great young ladies to coach and be around. I've had as much fun coaching this year's team as I have any of the other teams I've coached over the years.

"It's nice to get that 20th win on Senior Night, it was fun to watch our seniors out there at the end of the game."

Seniors on the Grain Valley High School girls basketball team, from left, Pyper Hartigan, Navaeh Clausen, Ava Ferguson, Cam Kelly, Cara McHardie and Keyanna Bullock were able to share the excitement of the Eagles' 62-40 Friday night Senior Night victory over visiting Belton. Coach Randy Draper sent five of the six seniors onto the court for the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Bullock would have been a part of the recognition, but she was out with a minor injury. She did play earlier in the game. Photo credit: Bill Althaus

Photo credit: Bill Althaus