By Skip Hunter –

As most of you know, when two cross-town rivals meet, you throw out the records and let the game begin. This was the case in Edgerton last week as on Tuesday the SWC and EHS girls met in the SWC’s gym. The Flying Dutchmen were off to a 2-0 start with a pair of impressive wins while the Eagles had shown flashes of brilliance but also some confusion.

As the game wore on in the first half, fans might have wondered if anyone could win. The Dutchmen turned the ball over 19 times in the first half while SWC shot an abysmal 22 percent from the floor. The Eagles held a 2-point lead at the break, but it soon became evident that the Dutchmen were tiring as that lead ballooned to 10, 4 minutes into the second half. When the final horn sounded, the Eagles were victorious 66-53.

The SWC cheerleaders took a break from cheering and used their dulcet tones to perform the national anthem. The ball was thrown up and the game began. Makenna Moss scored in the low post for the first basket of the game. Rylie Fey splashed home a trey using an Ana Veldkamp pass to give the Eagles a 5-0 lead. EHS scored the next 6 points. Braelyn Kracht passed to Mateya Gilbertson for a pretty little jump shot. Alyda Vande   Griend scored next for the vistors. Gilbertson assisted Vande Griend to give the Dutchmen a 6-5 advantage.

The Eagles tied the score when Kenzie Nelson found Jocelyn Barron down low. The sophomore was fouled and made 1 of 2 free throws. A Kracht pass found Emma Schoolmeester who scored. The Dutchmen would lead until 1:25 in the first half. Miriam Ockenga scored next followed by a coast-to-coast run by Vande Griend. Moss went 1 of 2 from the line, but that was matched by a Vande Griend free throw. Neither team was stellar from the stripe.

Reece Wassink made her only first half bucket using a Gilbertson pass to make the score 15-7. The Eagles again went 1 for 2 from the line with Fey scoring. Vande Griend, who seemed to be all over the court, made an old-fashioned 3-point play using another Gilbertson pass. Moss made a steal, was fouled, and made both ends of a 1-and-1. Ockenga scored again using a Vande Griend feed. The score stood 20-10 with 6:36 showing on the clock.

Moss again hit 2 free throws, but EHS did likewise in the person of Haley Wieck. Morgan Pap was sent to the line and made 2 foul shots as the Eagles were now in the double bonus. Wieck kept the Dutchmen lead at 10 with a bucket. However, the Dutchmen would not score for the final 3:54 of the first half. Moss scored again down low, using a Pap feed. The junior next had a put-back shot followed by a Pap trey aided by a Barron pass. Fey made the score 24-22 with a free throw, and then Veldkamp passed to Moss in the low post. Moss’s shot tied the score at 24. Fey scored the last bucket of the half to give the Eagles a 26-24 lead.

Wassink, revived by the halftime break, scored first to tie the score. Vande Griend drove in and scored, was fouled, and made the free throw to give EHS a 29-26 lead. Veldkamp rolled in a charity toss and Shaylee Van Essen scored in the low post to tie the score. The Eagles went on a 12-2 run to take the aforementioned 10-point lead. Fey made a pair of free throws, Pap hit a trey, assisted by Nelson. Veldkamp grabbed a defensive board and steamed coast-to-cost for the bucket. Van Essen scored after swiping the ball. Pap ended the run with a left-handed shot. She was fouled and made the awarded free throw. The only points EHS could muster in that time period were 2 Vande Griend free throws.

The 2 teams played fairly even for the rest of the contest, but the damage had been done. Wassink and company tried to get the Dutchmen back into the game, but the Eagles stood staunch. Pap made another old-fashioned 3-point play using a Veldkamp feed. Vande Griend made 1 of 2 from the stripe. Moss and Wassink traded baskets to make the score 46-34 with 10:46 showing on the clock.

EHS cut the lead to 8 with baskets by Kracht, after a steal, and by Wassink using a Vande Griend assist. After an Eagle timeout, Mackenzie Pap passed to Barron on an inbounds play for a bucket. Fey scored on a drive, but the dynamic duo of Vande Griend and Wassink struck for a score. Moss made 1 of 2 from the line. Kracht passed to Wassink for a bucket, and Fey hit fellow senior Pap for one. Wassink scored again using a Gilbertson pass. However, Pap came back with a left-handed shot to give the Eagles an 11-point advantage, 55-44.