​Youth of Eagles Puts Up Big Fight in Season Finale

by John Unrein

     Lady Eagles Head Basketball Coach Randy Draper stared at his team as they sat on the bench prior to the start the second half, trailing on the scoreboard by 12 points.  The message shared by Draper was direct and simple, “We have to attack the basket.  Good things will occur if we do.  We will get back into this game.”
     Among those who took Draper’s message to heart were sophomores Annabelle Totta and McKenah Sears.  Totta would receive passes at the elbow of the lane off cuts and attack the goal during the second half.  Her efforts would garner 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 5 steals during the contest.  The 5’ 5” guard was in the right place numerous times as her theft of the basketball created extra possessions for her team during the final two quarters of action.
     Sears consistently used a nifty crossover dribble and quickness at the point to defeat pressure at midcourt down the stretch.  Sears was also not shy about shooting, compiling a trio of three pointers during the game.  The stat line for the 5’ 7” guard yielded a double-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists.
     The valiant effort led by the youth of the Lady Eagles was not enough to prevail.  The final score of the Class 6 District 7 Tournament matchup would tilt in favor of Battle High School out of Columbia, Missouri by a score of 51-45.  The Spartans will advance to face the Lady Jaguars of Blue Springs South on March 1st.
     “We tried to be tough in the second half.  We should have started the game the way we finished it.  We really wanted this win, and it didn’t end in our favor,” Totta said.
     “The overplay by them (Battle) in our passing lanes secured the opening to the basket for me with my drives in the second half.”
     Totta continued, “The roadblocks we faced in losing Finley (LaForge) and Grace (Slaughter) before getting Finley back have tested us.  I am glad we got this far.”
     Sears added, “We finally got things going in the second half.  If we had played the whole way with that intensity, it would have been a game changer for sure.”
     “We battled for every ball down the stretch.  I think our nerves played a part in what happened in the first half and that’s no excuse.”
     Sear concluded, “I love playing with these girls.  They are like family to me now.   We will miss Elena (Sanchez), who is our only senior, but the rest of us will be back and ready next season.”
     The Lady Eagles, who were the third seed in the tournament, are left to think about what might have been had a plethora of first half shots that hit iron would have gone in.  The opposite was true for the Spartans.  Junior Kaelyn Johnson also came up big for Battle with a scoring output of 18 points, including a quartet of three pointers from behind the arc.
     Coach Draper sat on the Lady Eagles bench after the game, speaking with members of the media and reflecting on the season.  The veteran coach has seen another successful season at the helm in compiling a 20-5 overall record for Grain Valley this season.  Draper was honest and hopeful in his postgame comments.
     “We got great shots at the beginning of the game.  We would take those shots any day and they didn’t go in for us.  That put us behind the eight ball.  We did find our way back into the game,” Draper said.
     “They (Battle) ended up getting into foul trouble and that was because we attacked the basket and got offensive rebounds.  Totta now, she is hard to keep in front of you.  She took advantage of her sets tonight and showed that she is a special competitor and athlete.”
     Draper finished, “We spoke after the game as a group about how we have to make this pay off for next year, with what we learned and the development.  We had some players who had to grow due to the situation they were put into.  When we get Grace (Slaughter) back to combine with the youth we have currently, there is going to be competition for spots, and you have to be excited about the future of this program.”

Lady Eagles head coach Randy Draper delivers a simple message as the team attempted to come back from a 12-point deficit at the start of the second half. “We have to attack the basket.  Good things will occur if we do.  We will get back into this game.” Photo credit: Valley News staff

Sophomore Annabelle Totta would receive passes at the elbow of the lane off cuts and attack the goal during the second half.  Her efforts would garner 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 5 steals during the contest.  The 5’ 5” guard was in the right place numerous times as her theft of the basketball created extra possessions for her team during the final two quarters of action. Photo credit: Valley News staff

Sophomore Finley LaForge attempts a free throw. Photo credit: Valley News staff

Sophomore McKenah Sears consistently used a nifty crossover dribble and quickness at the point to defeat pressure at midcourt down the stretch.  Sears was also not shy about shooting, compiling a trio of three pointers during the game.  The stat line for the 5’ 7” guard yielded a double-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists. Photo credit: Valley News staff