Wednesday, January 23

After seeing their record dip below .500 for the first time this season, the Canaan Eagles have put together a four game winning streak. The Eagles returned home Wednesday night after a month-long roach trip to face the Bears of Bishops College of Canada. The score remained close through the first quarter, but a strong second quarter gave the Eagles a big advantage heading halftime. Despite the best efforts from the Bears, they could not catch up to the Eagles, who cruised to a 56-37 win.

The first quarter moved at a remarkably slow pace in comparison to the rest of the game. Both teams appeared to be sizing each other up instead of attacking. The Eagles went to a smaller starting line-up, inserting Adam Brousseau into the mix, in an effort to match the athleticism of the Bears' guards, but early foul trouble for Jason Charest promptly ended that experiment. Jeremy Schichtle came off the bench and scored the first basket of the game for the Eagles off an offensive rebound. The score would go back and forth for the remainder of the quarter. Zack Daley had the shooting touch for the perimeter, hitting three jumpers to give the Eagles a 10-8 lead. The Bears would reclaim the lead in the final seconds of the quarter with a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded.

The Eagles took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Bears 23-6. The zone press from the Eagles forced several turnovers and led to easy baskets on the fast break. When the Eagles had to execute their halfcourt offense, they found success inside. The combination of Jake Smith, Schichtle, and Daley dominated the offensive boards and got the Bears' big men in foul trouble. Unfortunately, Smith would pick up his third foul late in the quarter, confining him to the bench for a good stretch of the action. Despite foul trouble, the Eagles held a 33-17 lead at halftime.

The Eagles' lead would swell to as much as 22 in the third quarter, but the Bears would not go down without a fight. Scrappy defense and some timely outside shooting go the Bears back within striking distance. The lead would dwindle to 13 by the end of the quarter, but the Eagles remained level-headed.

Zack Daley made a nice move to the basket to score the first basket of the fourth quarter. Connor Daley hit a big three-pointer on the next possession to regain the momentum for Canaan. The Bears offense went cold in the fourth, settling for difficult outside shots. The Eagles were once again able to empty their bench in the final minutes after sewing up another solid victory.

The fourth consecutive win for the Eagles puts them at 8-5 on the season.