High Energy Third Quarter Gives Eagles Win on the Road

David Finney | Photo by G-Rox Photography

Columbia, SC - The past two games have been tough ones for Coach Wagoner and his Reinhardt Eagles, where they have lost both by two points each. As frustrating as this can be, the Eagles know they have a highly skilled and talented team and those two losses could have been victories with a few different bounces going their way. Coming off a few days' rest, the Eagles were back on the road visiting Columbia College Saturday afternoon and it was a chance to put an end to the two-game losing streak.

For the past few games, Coach Wagoner has been reaching deep into his bench getting significant minutes and production from many team members, however, it would be the duo guard play of starters Catherine Shope and Abi Haynes that would lead the Eagles to a 91 point output. Shope had 15 on the afternoon and Haynes added 17 to lead all Eagles in scoring. Brooke Grinstead and Brylee Puckett would have 8 points apiece also as starters. Strong Bench scoring would come from Ashley Woodroffe with 9 points and Tarrah Gibson would drop 7 on the Koalas.

The first quarter would see the two teams tied until the Eagles went on an early run with a jump shot from Shope and two consecutive three-pointers by Haynes and Grinstead giving Reinhardt an 8-point lead. The Eagles would keep this 7 to 8 point spread for most of the first quarter until, under two minutes, Columbia made a small run bringing them within three. Katrice Jackson would hit a short jumper in the last seconds giving Reinhardt a 17 to a 12-point lead heading into the second quarter.

In the second quarter, Columbia would hit an early three-pointer bringing them within two points of the Eagles. There was a short period of bad shot selections and turnovers that allowed Columbia to work their way back into the game. A tip-in by Puckett mid-way through the second quarter followed by a layup by Haynes would see the Eagles get their lead back to seven. Woodroffe would have two layups that would get the lead up to ten and things seemed to be on track from that point on. The home crowd in attendance could see the dominance taking place by the Reinhardt Eagles, however, the game was still in hand going into halftime with the Eagles only having a five-point lead at 36-31. Although Reinhardt never trailed in this game, the Eagles could not permanently pull away from the Koalas in the first half.

Coach Wagoner and his staff brought the Eagles together at the half as Reinhardt would push the pedal in the second half getting 31 total points in the quarter. Haynes and Shope would lead this effort again, however, the Eagles shared the wealth with multiple players contributing to the scoring barrage. Symone Williams, Torie Williams, and Julia Craft all got into the scoring act during the third quarter. Reinhardt would see their highest lead of the game at twenty points on back-to-back three-pointers by Torie Williams and Woodruffe. This proved to be a devastating blow to Columbia and the Koalas would never recover.

Reinhardt continued their scoring output in the fourth seeing the lead reach twenty-five and stay there most of the quarter. The game would end with the Eagles taking the win 91-63 which makes the long bus ride back to Waleska more enjoyable. There is a long way to go on the season, but the Eagles have shown that they can compete with the best in their conference. Cleaning up some of the possession and turnover issues can allow this team to make a strong finish in the AAC.

The Eagles will return to conference play on Monday with a 1 pm tipoff when Kentucky Christian visits Waleska. Come out and cheer on the Eagles and their exciting brand of basketball!