Eagles Fall in Overtime Thriller to Goessel 49-46
Pyle Dominates with 28 Points; ECS Nearly Forces Second OT
The Elyria Christian School Eagles came up just short in a hard-fought overtime battle, falling 49-46 to Goessel in what proved to be an evenly matched contest between two competitive programs.
Joy Pyle delivered a dominant performance with 28 points and nine rebounds, falling just one board shy of a double-double. After a slow start, Pyle came alive in the second half, recognizing the matchup advantage and pouring in 20 of her 28 points after halftime.
"Joy realized just before halftime that they were going to struggle stopping her under the basket," said head coach Greg Fields. "It was great to see her come out and be a force in the second half."
Grace Prescott orchestrated the offense effectively while playing tough defense throughout the game. Haven Bower and Kami Noggle turned in their best performances of the season with physical, aggressive play on both ends of the floor.
"This was a very competitive game against evenly matched teams," Fields noted. "Goessel has some really good, young talent and it will be fun to watch them continue to grow as a team."
The Eagles showed resilience after a tentative start, stepping up their aggressiveness after the first quarter and battling the Bluebirds down to the final possession. ECS had a chance to force a second overtime, executing a designed play in the closing seconds that resulted in a quality look that just rimmed out.
"The girls ran a play at the end of the game that would have tied it, and the ball just came off the rim, so I was proud of them for listening and executing for an opportunity to extend the game," Fields said.
Greg Loving
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