Streaking Lady Eagles fight for seeding position
By Jake Naas
IV Leader Sports Writer
As the Lady Eagles head for the final regular season games,
they look to pick up some key wins to jockey for position in the district
playoffs.
The team is coming off a four-game win streak, beating Wright
College, Blackhawk, Kishwaukee and Highland, and if the final games turn out
like the last four, the Lady Eagles will be in good position to end the year.
On a four game win streak, the Lady Eagles continue to get
big numbers from their top three scorers in Markita Barnes (18 points per game),
Quortney Gibson (16.5 points per game), and Tiffany Leonard (14 points per
game), but it is the surge from Danielle Speed that coach Steve Crick has
credited with the four-game win streak.
“Danielle Speed has really stepped up and has given us a
fourth scorer in double figures and has been a big factor in the four game win
streak,” Crick said.
Along with the big boost during the win streak, Speed also
owns the seventh best 3-point field goal percentage in the country with a 47.7
percent mark, going 31-for-65.
Along with Speed, Barnes’ average of 5.6 assists per game
puts her at 16th nationally.
The Lady Eagles also hold team record nationally in two
categories. They are 19th in the nation with 72.8 points per game and are sixth
in the country with a 69 percent free throw percentage.
The Lady Eagles are currently second in the Arrowhead
Conference standings with a 6-2 mark.
Carl Sandburg sits alone a top the conference with an 8-0
record, but with four conference games left, the Lady Eagles have an outside
shot of taking home a share of the conference championship.
With a game against Carl Sandburg, the Lady Eagles would have
to win and have someone else beat Carl Sandburg, something that Crick thinks is
highly unlikely to happen.
“We have a shot, but Carl Sandburg hasn’t lost a conference
game in over two years, so it is definitely an outside chance,” said Crick.
The four-game win streak is also a credit to the myriad of
defenses that the Lady Eagles have been throwing at their opponents.
They have had trouble all year trying to find a consistent
defense, but the Lady Eagles have found it beneficial to match a defense with
the other team, and have been successful doing so.
With a systematic approach, the offense continues to
flourish. With the consistent double-digit scoring, and players in many national
offensive statistical categories, the Lady Eagles shouldn’t have a problem.
With only a few games remaining, the Lady Eagles want to head
into the seeding meeting on Feb. 19 on a roll.
The first game of the playoffs will then be on Feb. 28.
The Lady Eagles will be in action at home against both Carl
Sandburg on Feb. 16th, which is “Pack the House Night” and again on Feb. 21 as
they take on Kankakee.
They then hit the road on Feb. 23 for a conference tilt
against Black Hawk to end their regular season.
If the team wins the playoff game on Feb. 28, they will
travel to Waubonsee Community College on march 4 for a semifinal game.
If the team wins, they would play for the Region title on at
Waubonsee on March 8.
The winner of the game will move onto the National
Tournament, which will take place in Phoenix, Ariz., from March 15 to 18.