Eagles Bring in 2022 on a Big Note!

David Finney | photo by Angel Cornista

Waleska, GA - There is all of January and February left in this basketball season, but as 2021 comes to a close - the Reinhardt Eagles returned from their Christmas break ready to play. Coach Newton's crew came out with high intensity, determination, and great team play to secure a win against non-conference foe, Tennessee Southern University.

The game would start with the Eagles full-court, man-to-man defense which seemed to create havoc for Tennesee Southern's guards trying to bring the ball down the court.  The Eagles came out firing on all cylinders getting a five-point lead within the first five minutes of the half led by point guard, Keyshaun Street, who knocked down three three-pointers in the first half. Key turnovers by the Firehawks of Tennessee Southern and hot shooting for Reinhardt allowed for a small run at the beginning of the first half.

Around the ten-minute mark, Jalin Wimberly would make a pair of free throws extending the Eagles' lead to eight points and they would not look back the rest of the first half. Tyler Smith would get into the three-point act knocking one down for the Eagles and pushing the lead to 16 points with around five minutes left. Coach Newton's pressing defense was doing its job and the Firehawks appeared sluggish trying to keep up with the Eagles' "run and gun" style. The backbreaker from the first half was a hammer dunk by Wimberly on a lob pass from Street around the three-minute mark which took the wind out of the sail for the Firehawks and brought the Brown Athletic Center fans to their feet. Reinhardt would take a comfortable 42-24 lead going into the half.

Halftime would allow Tennessee Southern to regroup and figure out a way to chip at the 18 point deficit. The Firehawks did come out with a different intensity than the way they started the first half and came up with steals and fastbreaks of their own in the first three minutes to cut the lead to eleven points. A quick timeout by Coach Newton settled things down for the Eagles and refocused them on the game plan. The Firehawks were able to get the lead to eight points, however, Reinhardt would not let up and they started running again. High energy from Tafari Thomas and Dereck Lampkin along with Street's continued scoring and game leadership would not allow Tennessee Southern to get any closer. Tyler Smith's three-pointer and Marcus Kirkand's strong layup around the eight-minute mark in the game pushed the game back to thirteen and the Eagles never looked back.

The game would hover in this point spread for most of the remainder of the game and the Firehawks would play the foul game for the last two to three minutes. The Eagles would continue scoring and knocking down free throws securing the win. The play that sent the Firehawks back to their warmed-up bus was a full-court inbound pass to Wimberly who immediately lobbed the ball towards Tyler Smith who was already airborne ready to throw down the two-hand catch and slam. Perfect pass - perfect dunk - another win for the Eagles - 80 to 66!

Reinhardt would finish with four players in double figures scoring led by Street's 15. Lampkin would follow with 14, Smith with 13, and Marcus Kirkland with 10. The Eagles had several others right on the verge of double figures as well. Lampkin would lead Reinhardt in rebounds with 11 giving him a double-double on the evening.  It was a solid performance of team basketball and we have not seen the best of this team yet. Stay tuned as Reinhardt returns to conference play next Tuesday when they visit the Buffaloes of Milligan University.