Three Spartans finish in double figures as EEHK triumphs 66-44
By Drew Herron - AJ Sports Editor / Jan. 9, 2014
ELK HORN – Following last Friday night’s frustrating loss at Coon Rapids-Bayard, Exira-EHK coach Tom Petersen could do little more than shake his head.
“It looked like this was the first time we played five-on-five basketball,” he joked afterwards.
Yes indeed, the Spartans let one slip away from them at CRB, and ended up losing 48-33. But recent history tells us that when Exira-EHK falls, they get back up, and boy did they come charging back Tuesday night.
Exira-EHK answered with a 66-44 victory over West Harrison Tuesday, a victory that helped right the ship and deliver a jolt of confidence to a team that is both talented and inconsistent.
“From top to bottom, that was probably the best we’ve played all year,” coach Petersen says of Tuesday’s victory. “But obviously, we are going to need to continue to improve.”
A 36-14 halftime lead for the Spartans had been pushed to a 30-point difference at the start of the fourth quarter, and everyone had a hand in this victory.
Junior Rachel Smith led all scorers with 19 points, and she was joined in double figures by Mara Burmeister (13) and Claire Paulsen (12). Spreading the ball around was a point of emphasis for the team, and coach Petersen was pleased with the team’s ability to score from multiple places.
“It was good to see our team get it done with a little more balance in our scoring,” he says. “That’s something we’ve been needing for quite a while.”
Following the loss to CRB, the Spartans couldn’t help but reassess where they were at and where they were headed. On Tuesday, prior to that evening’s game against West Harrison, coach Petersen called for a special practice session after school, and preached the need for an elevated level of defensive intensity.
“Against Coon Rapids-Bayard, we had a season-low, maybe a career low in steals,” he said. “That was something we needed to improve, and it starts with making our hands more active. (Against West Harrison), we had 20 steals in the first half alone. We simply HAVE to have that on a consistent basis.”
Up next for the Spartans is a road trip to Glidden-Ralston to face the struggling 2-6 Wildcats. Following that, Adair-Casey comes to Elk Horn Saturday for a pair of back-to-back games that is certain to test the Spartans.
AC is one of the teams EEHK is chasing, currently tied with Ar-We-Va for first place in the Rolling Valley Conference standings. Both teams sit with a 7-1 conference mark, and are followed by CRB (7-2) and the Spartans (5-3).
Aside from the games against Glidden-Ralston and Adair-Casey, the schedule is set to bring games Tuesday (vs. Boyer Valley), Thursday (at Woodbine) and Friday (vs. Paton-Churdan). It’s a five-game-in-eight-day stretch that would physically tax and NBA team, no less.
However, coach Petersen says his team won’t get caught looking ahead, and Glidden-Ralston has the team’s undivided attention.
“Our focus is on nobody but Glidden-Ralston,” coach Petersen says.
“We’re not good enough to look past anybody. Some nights we look as though we’ve put the game of basketball back quite a few years, other nights we look like we are playing pretty good ball.”
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