Eagles split two six-point decisions
By JJ Ossola
IV Leader Sports Editor
The IVCC women’s basketball team reached a season high,
six-game winning streak on Feb.15 in a win over the Sauk Valley Skyhawks, but
failed to make it seven, in a nail-biting last minute loss to the Blackhawk East
Warriors on Feb. 17.
The Eagles turned the tables on the Skyhawks, who had won the
last time they met 74-61, by holding on to a thin lead and winning by six
points.
Two days later, the Warriors turned the tables on the Eagles,
who had won the last match by 19 points, by holding on to a six-point lead.
The Eagles have been averaging about 65 points per game but only scored 58 in
both matches. Guard Tiffany Leonard led the Eagles against the Skyhawks, scoring
16 points and contributing two assists and four steals.
Forward Jena Maierhofer also had a solid game, shooting 4-4
inside the paint and 2-2 at the line, 2 assists and 2 steals. Guard Margaret
Carter scored 13 points, 3 steals and 2 assists.
Against the Warriors, Leonard led the charge again, scoring
17 points but it was the excellent inside game of Center Krystal Rosengren that
kept the Eagles close.
Rosengren shot 70 percent from the floor for 14 points and
had four assists. Carter scored 11, and shot 50 percent from behind the arc.
“We missed a couple of big shots towards the end of the game
and they made a couple of big shots,” said head coach Steve Crick.
“They hit a pair of threes late in the game and we pretty
much played them even for the last three minutes.
“They made six 3-pointers in this game and I don’t think they
even made one the last time we met, so that was unexpected.”
Coach Crick is looking forward to facing Illinois Central
College for the Eagles’ end of the season, home game.
“Our last three games of the season are versus Kankakee,
ranked 6th [in the nationwide polls for Division 2 Junior College Women’s
basketball], Carl Sandberg College, ranked 7th, and Illinois
Central College who is ranked No. 3.”
The Eagles will face five time NJCAA National Champions, the ICC Cougars for the
last home game of the regular season.
Crick said, “This should be a really exciting game to watch. Illinois Central
has some really good players.”