Earlham Echo

January 9, 2024

The Cards entertained the Woodward-Granger Hawks on January 2 for a conference double header in the first games of 2024. The Cardinal boys won, 49-33, while the girls lost, 48-40.

Boys

The Earlham Cardinals had their backs against the wall late in the game, but like they have done over and over this season, they executed well in the 4^th quarter to get the job done. Trailing 32-31 early in the final period, the Cards outscored the Hawks 18-11 to stay undefeated.

“They don’t let the moment get to them,” said Coach Williamson about his troops. “And they’re very resilient. They weather storms; they weather runs; and they find a way. You don’t have that every year, so it’s nice.”

Blake Reynolds scored 9 of his 19 points—including 5 free throws in the crucial closing seconds of the game—in the last 4-1/2 minutes of the 4^th quarter. And like he has all year, he provided a steadying influence for the team on both ends of the floor.

“He controls the offense well,” said Coach Williamson. “When he’s not scoring, he is doing a good job of facilitating, becoming a screener. And he defends really well, so he’s doing all those little things. And then, making free throws down the stretch. That’s who we want shooting them.”

Neither teams’ offense got untracked in the 1^st half, shooting a combined 35% from the field. The Hawks led, 17-16, at halftime.

The Cards made just 4 field goals in the 3^rd, but their defense kept the game close, and they led after 3, 31-30.

Woodward-Granger went ahead early in the 4^th, but Earlham snagged the lead, 34-32, when Kallin Nicholson made a 3 at 6:28. After the Hawks tied the game, Reynolds drove for a layup at 4:42. Jeret Petersen made a steal in the Hawks’ front court, then drove the length of the floor for a layup to give the Cards a 38-34 lead at 4:04. On the Cardinals’ next possession, Tanner Morrison got an unguarded layup late in the shot clock to give the Cards a 6-point lead at 3:18. After two more defensive stops, the Cards went up by 8 when Reynolds grabbed an offensive rebound and made a short turnaround jumper at 1:22. Forced to foul, the Hawks sent the Cardinals to the free throw line a couple times with under a minute to play. The Cards made 2 of 4 free shots, while the Hawks answered with 2 field goals to make the score, 44-40, with 35 seconds to play. Reynolds got fouled 3 times down the stretch, making 5 of 6 free throws to ice the game.

For the Cardinals, it was a sluggish night on offense, but their defense was once again superior. Woodward-Granger had a distinct size advantage, but rarely entered the paint with their offense, instead opting for 3s. They made just 3 of 23 shots from beyond the arc.

“Our guys do a pretty good job of the little things,” said Coach Williamson. “We had 6 turnovers tonight. That’s not a defensive stat, but if you’re taking care of the ball on your end, you’re not playing defense as long on the other end. We gave up some early offensive rebounds, but did a nice job adjusting. With (Woodward-Granger’s) size, they’re going to get some.”

The first game of the new year is always tough. The Cards had just four practices over the Christmas break. Plus, they didn’t have school the day of the game with the Hawks, which can be tricky, too.

“I sent them a message at 1 and said, ‘Hey it’s time to get up and start doing something,’” said Coach Williamson with a laugh. “I don’t know if they did or not, but they were ready.”

Petersen joined Reynolds in double figures with 12 points. Nicholson had 9 points, sinking 3 3-pointers.

Girls

When a team loses a big lead, sometimes it’s because they get a little too complacent. Other times, the opponent just gets going and does what it takes to get back into the game. In the matchup between Earlham and Woodward-Granger, both scenarios were probably true.

With 2 minutes gone in the 3^rd quarter, the Cardinals had a comfortable 29-16 lead. But in the last 13-1/2 minutes of the game, the Hawks heated up and outscored the Cards 32-11.

Playing in the first game after Christmas break, both teams looked lethargic in the 1^st quarter. The Cards led after 1, 9-8.

In the 2^nd, Earlham got rolling, while the Hawks did not. Kenna Harskamp made a 3-pointer at 5:56, and Darby Moore scored from the low block after a fine move at 4:27. The Hawks got their first field goal of the period at 4:15, and the Cards led, 15-10. Avrie Fagan scored on a putback, then Moore made 2 free throws. Moore made a 15-foot jumper at 1:45, and Harskamp hit a short jump shot with 8 seconds left in the half. The Cards led at the break, 23-14.

After baskets by Moore, Fagan, and Harskamp, the Cards led, 29-16 early in the 3^rd. In a 90-second span, the Hawks scored 10-straight points—3 3-pointers and 1 free throw—and trailed, 29-26, at the midway point of the period. Olivia Nixt made a baseline jumper to halt the Hawks’ streak, but that was the last field goal the Cards would make for nearly 6 minutes. Woodward-Granger made another 3-pointer with 2:13 to play in the 3^rd, then converted an and-one with 30 seconds left to take the lead, 32-31.

The Cardinals missed an opportunity to regain the lead early in the 4^th period when they missed twice from point blank range at 6:30. After 2 free throws by the Hawks, the Cards trailed, 34-31. Earlham answered when Moore delivered an excellent baseline bounce pass to Lily Conry, who made a layup. The Hawks countered with a bucket at 5:41 and led, 36-33. Moore tied the game with a 3-pointer on the Cards’ next possession. A minute later, Conry made another layup after a terrific feed by Rowen Fisk, and the Cards led, 38-36, at 4:37. The Hawks scored the next 6 points—2 field goals and 2 free throws—to go ahead for good. Fagan fed Fisk for a layup at 3:01 and the Cards trailed, 42-40, but that’s as close as they would get. The Cards missed their final 6 shots, while the Hawks made a putback, a layup, and 2 free throws to close out the game.

Moore led the Cards with 13 points.