Monday, January 28

After suffering a three-game losing streak to start the month of January, the Lady Eagles have now won three out of their last four games. The biggest sign of improvement has come on the defensive end for Canaan. For the second consecutive game, the Lady Eagles held their opponent to only 31 points. After defeating Bishops last week by a score of 40-31, the Lady Eagles downed the Alexander Galt Pipers by the exact same score Monday night. The difference in this game was the free-throw shooting for the Lady Eagles, who shot extremely well from the charity stripe, especially in the final minutes, to preserve the win.

From the opening tip, it was apparent that the Lady Eagles were focused on driving the ball to the basket. Paige Marchand scored the first three points of the game off a layup and a resulting foul shot. The Piper defense began to collapse in the paint, leaving the perimeter open. Danielle Harris promptly sunk a three-pointer to give her team the early 6-2 lead. The Pipers would battle back to tie the score, but the Lady Eagles would nail four consecutive free throws to end the quarter and take a 10-8 lead.

The Lady Eagles would put some distance between themselves and the Pipers in the second quarter with a 9-0 run. Harris fueled the run with another shot from long range and a pair of free throws. Being in the bonus for nearly six minutes of the second quarter, the Lady Eagles stretched their lead at the line. After a Miranda Havalotti offensive rebound and put-back, the Canaan lead had reached 9, which is where it would stand at halftime.

Both teams came out of the halftime break cold. No points were scored from either squad for the first three minutes of the third quarter, and the Lady Eagles would go nearly six minutes before an Annick Marquis three-point play broke the ice. The three Marquis points would be the only points for Canaan in the entire quarter. The Pipers took advantage, cutting the lead down to 4 by the end of the period, 25-21.

The Pipers continued the comeback in the final quarter, eventually knotting the score at 29-29. Marchand would score to give the Lady Eagles the lead back, but the Pipers answered on their next possession. Raelene Begin drew several fouls while driving to the basket aggressively, but struggled from the line. With the score still deadlocked, Harris stepped up and drilled another three-pointer to give the Lady Eagles the lead. The Pipers could not find any holes in the Canaan defense, and were forced to foul. Melinda Jones, Marchand, and Harris combined to shoot 6-6 from the line in the final minute to ensure the victory.

Harris led all scorers in the game with 15 points, including three hoops from long range. Marchand added 11 for the Lady Eagles, who now stand at 9-7 on the season.