Friday, February 6

After a narrow win over Stratford last Wednesday, the Canaan Lady Eagles were once again locked in a close, low-scoring match. This time, it was the UCA Crusaders who gave the Lady Eagles trouble on their home floor. In perhaps their final home game of the season, the Canaan offense went cold, scoring their fewest points in a game since the season opener against Craftsbury. Despite losing to the Lady Eagles by 25 points earlier in the season, UCA played hard and escaped with a 27-25 victory to stun the home crowd on Senior Appreciation Night.

A short ceremony took place before the game to commemorate the efforts of all the members of the senior class who had participated in sports during their high school careers. After the brief celebration and photographs, the Lady Eagles began the game sluggishly. It was apparent from the start that this would be a defensive battle. Neither team could consistently find open shots, and the few quality shots that were taken did not fall. Only a combined 20 points would be tallied in the opening sixteen minutes, with the Crusaders holding a 12-8 lead.

The second half was much like the first. The Crusader defense continued to baffle the Lady Eagles on offense. The score would not fluctuate much in either direction. Canaan coach Eric Hurlbert switched defensive schemes several times in the game in an attempt to create offense with defensive stops and steals. Regardless of the game plan, nothing seemed to work for the Lady Eagles, who could not overtake the Crusaders late.

The heartbreaking loss drops Canaan to 10-8 on the season with a single game remaining on the schedule. The Lady Eagles will travel to Colebrook to take on the Mohawks Friday night. As far as playoffs go, the Lady Eagles are looking at possible first-round match-ups with Blue Mountain, Black River, or West Rutland.

This marked the final regular season home game for Canaan seniors Danielle Harris and Miranda Havalotti.