Second Half Let Down Cost Eagles Against Truett McConnell

Waleska, GA - We are still very early in this 2022-23 season, however, the current trend for Eagles Basketball needs to be turned around quickly. The Eagles have lost five of their first six games and are currently on a three-game losing streak. The injury bug has bitten the Eagles, which has not helped the situation and made all the games an uphill battle. Key players like Greg Hobbs, Jalin Wimberly Tyler Smith, and Antonio Spencer have missed at least one game this season and several have missed multiple games.  These four are starters and play significant minutes for the Eagles so having them out just one game really hurts the team's chances. 

In tonight's game, the Eagles had a slow start in the first five minutes of the game getting down 8 to 0 before scoring. They were able to score after a few minutes where the score went to 11-3. By the end of the first ten minutes of the first half, the Eagles had caught back up to the visiting Bears and they were making it a good game despite having Spencer and Smith sidelined with injuries. The remainder of the first half would see leads expanded and then cut back down by the Eagles. A ten-point lead was achieved by the Bears with about 8 minutes left in the first half. The Eagles were able to close the gap to just three points on a Jamison Syphore layup with about a minute left in the first half cutting the score to 33-30 Bears. The Bears would go into halftime with a 3-0 lead, but this would be as close as the Eagles would get in the game.

The second half is where the Eagles would let things get away from them. With just about two minutes into the second half, Reinhardt would see the Bear's narrow lead get extended to ten points.  The Eagles were not able to catch Truett McConnel after this lead was extended to almost twenty points. The Eagles tried to get the game closer and the lead was cut to just thirteen points with just about five minutes left in the game, however, the guard play from the Bears would let it get any closer. Tonight Truett McConnell was just the better team pulling away for the 74-57 win.

The Eagles will need to put this game behind them quickly so they can start focusing on St. Andrews who will be visiting Waleska this Thursday evening. As time goes on, the injuries that have plagued this team will improve and the team will be firing on all cylinders. After the St. Andrews game, the Eagles will have a game on the road this Saturday at Johnson (TN) and then next Tuesday at Point. This will be a great opportunity for the Eagles to rattle off several wins in a row before the Thanksgiving break next week. This team is way too talented to keep down for long so get ready for the Eagles to start putting games in the win column.

In the Box Score

• Nate Louis scored 19 despite being in foul trouble most of the game.
• Jalin Wimberly added 12 points and 5 rebounds.
• Jamison Syphore was a spark off the bench scoring 8 points and pulling down 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

Next up for the Eagles 

• Thursday vs. St. Andrews, 7:30 PM