By Brenda Erdahl
Sports Editor
The Irish basketball team had a busy week last week with two games at home and one on the road.
Maple Lake 56, Eagle Ridge Academy 79
Maple Lake defense was in top form, Tuesday, Jan. 16, and the Irish took an early 11-4 lead over Eagle Ridge in front of an energetic home crowd.
“We had some nice stops and we converted them to points,” Head Coach Bryan Schleif said.
But the lead didn’t last long. Eagle Ridge took a time out and came back stronger than ever and the Irish couldn’t hold onto the lead. Ultimately turnovers and fouls cost the Irish the first half.
“We definitely knew this game was going to be competitive, but we dug ourselves a hole. The second half was much better, but we couldn’t close the gap,” Schleif said.
Maple Lake 33, EV-W 84
The Eagles went into Thursday’s night’s (Jan. 18) game at Maple Lake as the No. 5 team in Class AA and it showed. Not only are they a 2023 state tournament qualifier, but they also boast a 6-foot, 8-inch senior post who presented a challenge to Irish ball players.
“I thought our offense played really well despite the outcome. We slowed it down on the offensive end compared to Eagle Ridge on Tuesday night,” Coach Schleif said.