To celebrate Parents night, the 8th grade York Lady Eagles bludgeoned the hapless Knox Lady Knights to the tune of a 52-15 thrashing as the Lady Eagles were clicking on all cylinders.
From the opening tip, York controlled the tone and pace of the game. In utilizing fast breaks, the full court press, lights out defense, and a decent shooting percentage, the Lady Eagles ramped up their performance in their final game of the season.
The girls dominated all statistical categories with 28 rebounds, 3 blocked shots, 15 assists and 21 steals to offset their 16 turnovers. The Lady Eagles shot a moderate 34% from the field but hit 50% from three-ville.
The pace was blistering from the tip off as the Lady Eagles charged away from the Knox Knights 22 – 5 at the end of the first quarter and led 31 – 7 at the half. Coach Kloesel mixed the on-court player match ups into groups to complement each other for different tempos as the team exhibited how they have gelled through the season. With four guards and one post on the court for a series, the tempo was fast breaks and steals. With three posts and two guards, the game was forced to the paint and boards.
As is their trademark, the young Lady Eagles were high energy to go along with being quick and clean and ended the game not giving up a single point in the fourth quarter.
York wore just two blemishes this district season in losing twice to the talented and classy McCullough Highlanders.
In finishing second in the district, the girls can hold their heads high as at all times they played to the best of their ability. All of the players advanced with their skills and knowledge of the game during the season. These 10 girls played together last year and were Co-District Champs.
A few of the girls whose primary sport is soccer or volleyball have hinted at not continuing with basketball but when you see how much they have learned in their two years of competitive school basketball and how their skills have improved, it would be a shame to not continue playing next season. When these players are in the groove, they can hang with any team, anywhere. The aggressive York style of play lends to quite the exciting atmosphere and are always worth double the price of admission.
Oak Ridge high school is excelling across the board due in part to the magnificent people coming out of York every year. The future looks bright for not only girls basketball but all organizations at Oak Ridge high school. The York Lady Eagles 100% go get ‘em style is a microcosm of what the Oak Ridge high school feeder zone is becoming.
| STATS: | ||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| York | 22 | 9 | 11 | 10— 52 |
| Knox | 5 | 2 | 8 | 0— 15 |
About Matt Smith
