Eagles finish second in conference
By Duane Price
IV Leader Staff, Feb. 26, 2004
For the fourth time in the last five years, the Eagles women's basketball team has finished second in the Arrowhead Conference.
The team went into the Feb. 21 contest vs. Carl Sandburg with a chance to secure a share the Arrowhead title, but the Eagles came up just short.
"We just ran out of time," coach Steve Crick said of his team's 74-77 loss.
The women's team has performed well in the conference the past five years. The team has placed first or second each of those years, with the first place finish coming in 2001.
"We're right there," Crick said. "Last year, it came down to a three-point game with Black Hawk. This year, it was a three-point game with Carl Sandburg."
The women finish the regular season with a record of 19-10 and a 10-2 mark in the conference. The only two conference losses were to Carl Sandburg, which boasts nine all-staters on its team..
Now that the regular season is over, the team is preparing for regional play. The team gets its first-round regional game at 6 p.m. Saturday vs. Highland.
The No. 3-seeded Eagles have defeated Highland twice already this season, but Crick doesn't necessarily see that as a good sign.
"It's hard to beat a team three times," he said, "and they are hosting the tourney. We've taking them very seriously. We aren't talking about anybody else this week, but Highland."
The Eagles beat Highland by six in a contest at IVCC and then blew the team out by 30 in a game at Highland two weeks ago.
"I'm sure they're remembering that," Crick said.
The last five games before the Sandburg game, the women were beating their opponents by an average of 25 points per game. Crick said the team was in a zone with shooting, which Sandburg was able to end.
He hopes to get that edge back in the regional play.
"It will be tough for a No. 3 seed to come out of there, but we can do it," Crick said. "In order to do it, though, we have to be shooting the ball extremely well. When we're not shooting well, we struggle. When we're shooting well, we dominate."
For the Eagles to emerge from the region, they would have to defeat the top two seeds, Olive Harvey at No. 2, and Malcolm X, a nationally-ranked team, at No. 1.
Crick said in the preseason looking at his team with only two returning sophomore starters, he hoped for a .500 season.
"They're overachievers," he said. "This shows how hard they worked and how well they play together. They have a will to win."
Crick said a major strength has been teamwork. He said, "No one cares who scores. There's no jealousy. You can see that because we start five guards and we've won 19 games."
Before Sandburg, the Eagles had gone through a stretch where they won seven consecutive contests.
The team's hot hand has put them on several national lists. Crick said the team is ranked nationally in three-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage.
In addition, three women on the team are currently on the National Junior College Athletic Association's listing of Divisions I women's basketball statistics.
Katie Yedinak ranks 13th among steal leaders, 27th for assists, and 40th in individual scoring.
Jonelle Yacklich stands second in free throw percentage, seventh among scoring leaders, and 25th in three point shooting percentage. Margaret Carter also ranks nationally in the three-point shooting percentage category in 21st position.
Yacklich also recently earned an additional honor by scoring over 1,100 points in her IVCC career.