Eagle boys fly past English Valleys

Things couldn?t have gone much smoother for the Keota boys? basketball team on Tuesday night.

The Eagles dominated in every facet of the game against conference opponent English Valleys, en route to a 71-9 victory.

The win improves Keota to 6-1 on the season (5-0 in South Iowa Cedar League play), and marks the sixth-straight victory for the Eagles .

?It?s been a fun season,? Keota junior Jacob Wickenkamp said. ?We had a close game with Sigourney and have been blowing some teams out, but it?s good to get us prepared for the rest of the season.?

Wickenkamp led the team with 13 points in the rout, knocking down three 3-pointers in the contest. The Eagle junior has been among the top contributors to the Eagles? success this season, averaging 13.3 points per game and 4.1 assists per game, and said his role has continued to increase this season.

?I need to get the ball up the court and get the offense going,? Wickenkamp said. ?Sometimes I?ll look to attack, but I just want to shoot open shots. I don?t need to force anything.?

With the team on a six-game winning streak, head coach Dan Stout said the Eagles are just planning to go about their business after a big win, which saw a lot of athletes get into the game.

?They are having fun and love the way we play,? Stout said. ?They love getting up and down the floor and pressing. That?s how our practices look. We have 12 guys in practice working hard against each other, because last year we might not have pushed as hard at practice. They all have fun and get after it. They love to have an assist as much as a basket.?

Keota was able to generate a lot of early pressure with its press defense, forcing English Valleys into a number of turnovers, with 21 steals on the night.

?We are just quick. We have guys with good hands and we know where to put guys so we can trap them,? Stout said. ?They aren?t afraid to make a mistake. If they miss, someone will have their back. As we start to step to the other side of the division, we will have some stiff competition.?

The game never seemed in doubt for the Eagles, as they jumped out to a 19-0 lead over the first 10 minutes of the ballgame, holding English Valleys to two first-half points, both coming from free throws.

In the second half, the defensive intensity stayed intact, as English Valleys only notched one field goal in the contest, coming late in the third quarter.

The Eagles had four players finish with double-digit points, with 10 different athletes scoring at least two points and two rebounds.

Keota will face Lynnville-Sully on Friday night.