Teamwork key to eagles victory against jaguars

by Bill Althaus

The essence of teamwork, on both ends of the court, helped coach Randy Draper's Grain Valley girls basketball team shutdown the visiting Blue Springs South Jaguars 53-43 Thursday night on the Eagles home court.

"We really played well as a team," Draper said, after the Eagles improved to 13-1. "And the good news is that we can get better. And we're going to need to get better as we head towards to end of the season."

Addy Seyfert, one of the top scorers in the metro area, had just three points in the first half as the Eagles led 20-12 after one quarter and 27-22 at the half.

But she roared back in the second half and finished with a team-high 15 points and 12 rebounds.

"When Addy came out and hit her first 3-pointer in the second half, we knew she'd found her shot," said guard Cam Kelly, whose defensive skills attracted much attention in the game. "South has some very athletic guards, and it was a physical game, and we talked about that at halftime.

"We knew we had to have everyone contribute in the second half - offensively and defensively - and we did. It was a big team win."

Seyfert said she was a different player in the second half.

"I struggled in the first half," she admitted, "but Coach Draper always tells me to keep shooting the ball. And when I hit my first 3-pointer in the second half, I got a lot more confident with my shot. I was hitting from outside, and when I drove to the basket, that opened things up from the outside.

"And I agree about this being a team victory. It's so much fun when everyone contributes."

Madison Rust had just four points in the first half and added eight in the second to finish with 12 points.

"We moved the ball so well and really bought into team play," Rust said. "We were up by five at the half, and knew we should have had a bigger lead. Inside/outside we got better as the game went on. There was a lot of energy tonight and we fed off that, especially in the second half."

The Eagles used a 17-9 third quarter advantage to put the game away.

Addy Seyfert, one of the top scorers in the metro area, had just three points in the first half as the Eagles led 20-12 after one quarter and 27-22 at the half. But she roared back in the second half and finished with a team-high 15 points and 12 rebounds. Photo credit: David Rainey, Grain Valley News
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Head Coach Randy Draper coaching the team during a time out. Photo credit: David Rainey, Grain Valley News