Adam Williams ’14
On Tuesday night, the Eagle Basketball team went back on the road to face the #2 team in the Northeast Ohio area at Shaker High School. Playing in the biggest game of the year, this game was a possible preview to the State Semifinal game in Columbus later this year. The Eagles were coming off their closest game of the year, an overtime victory at St. Ignatius. Their third quarter collapse against the Wildcats, it seemed as if the Eagles were due for a wake-up call. The phone started ringing on the first possession of the game against the raiders. Shaker’s tough zone defense prevented the Eagles from getting any penetration in the paint. Forced to take outside shots, the team’s shooters could not step up last night, making only fifteen field goals in the entire game, only three 3-point shots. Their lack of shooting ability yielded almost no offensive production, causing Shaker to be up 13 points in fourth quarter.
Despite the fact that the Eagles played their worst game of the year…it was a good loss. Ranked #1 in almost every poll in the state, and in the top ten in the state. Rankings are extremely hard not to buy into. This was the Eagles fate. But the loss to the raiders came at the best time possible. Much like the football team’s loss to St. Ignatius late in the regular season, this loss will make sure that the team is prime and ready for their playoff run. Plus, there is the fact that the team still almost won. After a string of three-point shots and turnovers, the Eagles were able to bring their 13-point deficit to 3. This will give the team even more confidence if they face off with Shaker again in the playoffs. Losses can sometimes devastate a team. With the senior leadership on the basketball team, this loss will only reinvigorate them, giving them the best chance at the end goal, a state championship.