Written by: Kate Shafer
To kick off the new year the number one ranked Rocket girls' basketball team headed to North Mahaska to play the number two ranked Warhawks in a highly anticipated battle to see who was at the top of class 2A. The Rocket girls' basketball team scored the first 3 points of the game and never looked back. The Rockets maintained a lead throughout the entire game. Despite that, North Mahaska challenged the Rockets for the whole game and never gave them a comfortable lead. The Rockets were leading 27-21 at half-time. Ultimately EBF’s defense and timely baskets by Kaylee Helm allowed them to fight off several challenges by the Warhawks. After the game Kaylee Helm said, “I had a will to win, and really did not want to lose.” Molly Shafer led the rockets in scoring with 18 points, while Ava Eastlick and Kate Shafer each had 12, Kaylee Helm had 5, and Chloe Lyon scored 2. The Rocket girls were able to hold onto their #1 rank in 2A winning 49-40.
The boys' basketball team had a tall task in front of them when facing the very experienced North Mahaska Warhawks who have only lost one game this season. Gavin Spaur led the Rockets in the scoring category with 7, while Langstraat, Holohan, and Kirkpatrick contributed 6 points each. The boys had a very balanced offense with 8 players contributing points. Despite their efforts the boys' basketball team fell to the Warhawks 32-64.
The Girls basketball team reloaded for a South-Central Conference matchup with the Knoxville Panthers. The Panthers had no answers for Kaylee Helm and Ava Eastlick, as combined they made 12 three pointers. The Rockets were also very balanced, having four people scoring in double digits, and several people contributing off of the bench. This gave the girls their 40th conference win in a row and gave them a 6-0 record in the SCC this season after defeating Panthers 69-23. The Rockets are now 12-0 on the season and will face off with two top contenders, Centerville and Albia next week.
The Rockets Boys had another tough matchup with the 3A #6 ranked Knoxville Panthers who are undefeated in both South Central Conference play and non-conference matchups. The Rockets fought tooth and nail with the Panthers which resulted in a close first quarter with the score of 13-15. This was accomplished by their scrappy defense and key outside shots made by Emmet Holohan and Austin Langstraat. The Panthers eventually pulled away and held the Rockets to only score 11 more points the rest of the game. The Rockets are 0-10 on the season and have a busy week ahead of them. They will face off against the Sigourney Savages in a non-conference matchup to start off their week along with two South Central Conference matchups against Centerville and Albia.