JAMESTOWN, Mo. - The Jamestown Eagles boys team (11-11) won its fourth game out of the last five Feb. 8 after the team defeated the Calvary Lutheran Lions (8-14) at homecoming 57-38.
The Eagles played some tough defense throughout the first half, as they led 13-11 with 6:30 left to play in the second quarter. Jamestown then went on a 9-3 run to end the first half up 22-14. The Eagles led by as much as 10 points in the first half.
Head Coach Jay Thompson said the team did well when it came to defending Calvary Lutheran's strengths, like the 3-pointer.
"We made them put the ball on the floor and play out of their comfort zone," Thompson said. "We communicated well and played with a lot of urgency."
At the start of the second half, the Eagles began to slowly pull away from the Lions, as Jamestown led 28-16 with just less than 4 minutes left in the third quarter. The Eagles went on a 12-4 run to take a 40-20 lead late in the quarter.
Thompson said the team stayed focused on the defensive end in the second half while being patient on offense.
"We were more patient offensively and crashed the boards hard, allowing us to get some second-chance opportunities," Thompson said.
Jamestown had success with getting offensive rebounds and Thompson said the team played hard, which helped them get those second chances.
"Outside of Christian Snyder, we were struggling to score the ball at times," Thompson said. "Other guys found ways they could help the team and that was rebounding on both ends."
Snyder had a big game for the Eagles, as he scored a game-high 28 points. Clark Rohrbach added 11 points and Mack Sorrells, Tristan Jones and Travis Barbour each scored six points each.
Thompson said that it was part of the team's game plan to go to Snyder a lot.
"We liked the match up he had in the post," Thompson said. "He worked hard, sprinting up the floor and fighting for every rebound. Many of his points in the second half came from offensive rebounds."
In the fourth quarter, the Eagles continued to expand their lead as they led 50-24 with more than four minutes to go. The Lions made a small run to try to get back into the game, as they made it a 52-31 game with just under three minutes to go, thanks to a 7-2 run. But Jamestown held on for the win.
Jamestown has gone 5-2 in their last seven games and Thompson said their communication has been a reason for that.
"Defensively, we have really started to communicate well and make the game easier on ourselves," Thompson said. "Our young group had some early-season successes and failures that have prepared us for this point of the season and that is helping us finish strong."