Sports
Eastern Falls in District Final
By: Ryan Lewis
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It was the tale of two halves in the lower bracket Division IV district championship as the South Webster Lady Jeeps gained their 10th district title as they defeated the Eastern Lady Eagles 60-51.
After a back-and-forth first quarter, the Lady Eagles were down by just three. They hit a spark in the second quarter behind Jessica Parker shooting 2 for 3 from behind the arc.
As a team they shot nearly 60 percent from downtown going 8 for 14. Along with a tough defense the Lady Eagle’s went into the half leading 27-20.
However rhe second half was all Lady Jeeps.
“A couple times we caught ourselves out of position,” Eastern head coach John Burdette said. “You can’t do that at districts.”
Burdette also mentioned how South Webster’s Ellie Jo Johnson came alive in the second half. She finished with a double-double recording 16 points and 10 rebounds, six of which were offensive.
With that kind of pressure down low, South Webster created and capitalized on second-chance shots. As a team the Lady Jeeps shot 62 percent from the field. The Eagles also had a tough time containing senior Kacie Hall, who finished with a game high 20 points.
Despite the game being season ending, Burdette does feel that this game was one of the best his squad has had this season.
“I think we stayed focused a little longer out there tonight,” Burdette said. “That’s one thing we talked a lot about.”
Another bright side for Coach Burdette to look forward to is that next season, the entire Lady Eagles squad will be returning to the nest. They will only lose Annalisa Baono, who is a foreign exchange student from Italy.
This is the Eagles’ 11th trip to the district finals. With a record of 7-4 in the championship, Coach Burdette is proud that his young squad has made it this far and is able to play in a game this big.
“They’re going to improve,” Burdette said. “They’re going to get older and more mature and be able to handle situations a little better. We’ll be fine.”
South Webster will face Waterford on Thursday, March 3 in the regional semifinal at 7 p.m.