Eagles sophomores celebrated at Feb. 24 contest
By JJ Ossola
IV Leader Sports Editor
The end of the season, home game for the IVCC Eagles
basketball teams on Thursday, Feb. 24 promises to be a great night for athletics
and admission is free, as long as you have your IVCC identification card
The Women’s Eagles face off against the Illinois Central
College’s Cougars at 5:30 pm.
The Cougars are ranked third in the nation in NJCAA polls and
have held five NJCAA National titles.
They have steamrolled opponents scoring over 100 points three
times this season and are averaging 81 points a game. This will be the first
time these two teams have met this season.
The Eagles boast a strong defensive team, ranked 17th in the
nation, and only allow an average of 57 points per game. The Cougars are ranked
35th, allowing an average of 63 points per game.
Coach Steve Crick said the individual match-ups also promise
to be intense, with Eagles guard Margaret Carter, averaging 16.7 ppg (ranked
37th nationally) and 4.6 steals (ranked 7th nationally), facing the powder-keg
Cougar guard Alexis Crowder, who averages 14.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 steals,
2.4 assists per game.
The Cougars have a multitude of weapons in their offense
including, guard Rachel Merriman, ranked 5th in assists (7.4 per game, 185 this
season), 7th in field goal percentage, and 2.8 steals per game, and center Marie
Moser, who shoots 50 percent in the paint and averages 5.2 rebounds per game.
The Cougars also boast a twin sister/center duo that are 6’7
and, combined, average 14 points and 9 rebounds per game.
The Men’s team will face off against Division 2 Clinton
(Iowa) Community College at 7:30 pm.
Clinton, in its best win of the season, defeated the University of
Wisconsin-Rock County, 102-39.
There are nine Eagle sophomores, five on the women’s team and
four on the men. Each of the sophomores will be recognized at the games.
The sophomore cheerleaders also will be recognized as part of
the evening’s recognition event.
In addition, the cheerleaders will do a dance at halftime of
the men’s game, according to cheerleading coach Lisa Knapp.