Golden Eagles split Friday showdown With Nodaway Valley
By Calvin Silvers
On a chilly Friday night, the gymnasium at Bishop LeBlond High School buzzed with anticipation as the Golden Eagles hosted Nodaway Valley. The girls’ matchup tipped off the evening, but despite flashes of promise, LeBlond struggled to overcome Nodaway Valley’s stifling defense and size advantage, ultimately falling behind early and unable to recover.
The game opened with a brief exchange of baskets, including a mid-range bank shot from Claire Heater that tied the game at two. However, that moment proved to be the closest the Golden Eagles would come to matching the Thunder on the scoreboard.
Nodaway Valley quickly implemented a relentless full-court press, forcing turnovers and preventing LeBlond from establishing any rhythm on offense. Even when the Golden Eagles managed to cross half-court, the Thunder’s towering presence in the paint disrupted shot attempts and limited second-chance opportunities.
Nodaway Valley rode its defensive intensity to a commanding 16-4 lead by the end of the first quarter. Ava Graham anchored the Thunder’s efforts on both ends, dominating the paint with her defensive prowess, while Paidyn Linville showcased her sharpshooting from beyond the arc.
LeBlond showed signs of life to start the second quarter, ignited by Rilyn Conard. She drained a three-pointer to open the quarter and followed it up with an impressive drive through the Thunder defense to finish at the rim.
However, the Golden Eagles’ momentum was short-lived, as Conard went down with a knee injury after that play and did not return. Her absence further hampered LeBlond’s already uphill battle.
Meanwhile, Graham and Linville continued to shine for the Thunder. Graham controlled the paint with ease, grabbing rebounds and providing a reliable scoring option down low. Linville, on the other hand, put on a clinic from a long-range, and her accuracy created an insurmountable gap.
Nodaway Valley outscored LeBlond 16-12 in the second quarter, extending their lead to 32-16 by halftime.
The Thunder would call off their press during the third quarter, which allowed LeBlond to get more into their sets and points were slightly easier to come by. However, Graham’s low-consistency play would not be contained, and Thunder picked up the 56-30 victory.
Following the girls’ contest, the Bishop LeBlond boys took the court against Nodaway Valley in a tightly contested battle. Both teams traded blows throughout the game, but the Golden Eagles’ clutch play in the final minutes earned them a hard-fought 42-38 victory.
LeBlond struck first, with Trey Icke orchestrating the offense. Icke’s crisp passing set up Jacob Winkelbauer and Gannon Sowell for early buckets, giving the Golden Eagles a quick advantage.LeBlond capitalized on their momentum by maintaining defensive intensity, making it difficult for the Thunder to establish a rhythm in the paint.
However, Nodaway Valley quickly adjusted, finding answers to LeBlond’s interior defense. The Thunder began chipping away at the lead, using their own physicality and ball movement to close the gap.
Despite the Thunder’s efforts, LeBlond held firm, taking a 27-20 lead into the halftime break.
The second half mirrored the first, with both teams battling to gain the upper hand. Nodaway Valley leaned on their resilience and briefly snatched the lead, holding a slim 33-31 advantage heading into the fourth quarter, but the Golden Eagles refused to back down.
In the final three minutes, LeBlond tightened up, and the Golden Eagles are undefeated at 2-0 in the month of December.
