Girls’ Basketball Starts Off Strong

Along with the cold weather came basketball season, and this winter, the Fair Grove Lady Eagles stepped onto the court ready to win. So far this season, the team has a record of 12-4 and has already won some major games as well as the 35th Annual Fair Grove Invitational Tournament.
The Lady Eagles had their minds set on victory when they arrived on their home court. On November 30th, the girls dominated Springfield Catholic, 65-43 in the first round of their annual invitational tournament. They then went on to play Lebanon and suffered a close loss, 71-64. The bracket was so tight that determining who played in the championship game came down to just points. The Lady Eagles and the West Plains Zizzers would face off the next day for the championship. Freshman Alana Findley (9) led the team with 20 points as they defeated the Zizzers in overtime to win the championship for the first time since 2010.
Most of these girls are multi-sport athletes, so they’re working hard to succeed in their other sports while those who are only involved in basketball put in their work during the off-season by participating in weights programs, open gyms, club teams, and individual workouts, as well as the team camps every summer.
“This year we have really come together and started playing as a team. We aren’t worried about who scores the most or has the most rebounds or assists, we all have one goal; to win ball games, and when we play as a team we definitely accomplish that,” explains Makenna Hill (12).
The team expects to face a few tough competitors this season including Willard, Skyline, Strafford, and several teams in the Pink and White Tournament. “I’m super excited going into the Pink and White being the fifth seed and I’m ready to show everyone what we can do,” adds Hill.
On January 25th, the girls team played Willard at home, thy won 78-39 and coach Talbert got her 100th win at FG.