Eagles Tip Off At FCNB Bank-It Championship

The Eagles (0-3) were on the ropes during last week’s home FCNB Bank-It Championship. They faced tough competition in Pool B, falling 62-23 to Potosi and 53-28 to Cuba. In the consolation, Sullivan fought tooth and nail against Steelville, but they lost 51-36 to finish sixth. 

Head coach Kobe Wands was proud of his team for battling through adversity. He thanked each player for giving it their all on the court, even when trailing from behind. The coach did not see anybody “folding” from the pressure or “whining about calls or crying to other teammates.” Instead, Wands saw his team carry out each quarter with “positive attitudes” and “ready to take on the next challenge.”

The coach sees Sullivan’s biggest strengths being their “energy” and “effort levels.” Wands explained that heading into week two, their goal is “bringing the energy and treating every game like it’s our last game. And going out there, having fun and getting better every time we step on that court.”

The Eagles also aim to continue improving the turnover issue that plagued them last year. Wands wants his team to “take pride in each possession and take care of the basketball.” He said, “We obviously got a lot of inexperienced varsity players at the varsity level. And so every game, we’re going to get better there, and we’re going to develop more confidence… But we got to clean those turnovers up.”

Wands is excited to see Sullivan’s progress in the coming weeks and believes they can succeed with their willingness to improve. He continues to remind them that “when things are going great... everyone can have effort, everyone can have fun [and] everyone can be on the right track. When things start to go south, that’s really where you show the true character of who you are as a player, as a teammate and who you are as a person.”

Potosi

Cooper Donner led the Eagles on the rim in their season opener against No. 2 Potosi. Donner sank nine points, shooting 4-7 from the field. The senior also executed four rebounds and Sullivan’s only block.

Seth Valley crashed the boards for a team-high seven rebounds. He also tallied 5 points, two assists and a steal.

Peyton Malady put up 7 points, two rebounds and a steal.

Raiden Redd racked up three rebounds, 2 points, an assist and a steal.

Braxton Breen bagged two rebounds, two assists and a steal.

Brayden White grabbed four rebounds, while Spencer Thomure snatched one. 

Click to subscribe to the e-edition for the Cuba and Steelville recaps.