Once Again, Red Devils Ready for Spalding
EUREKA – For the fourth time this season, Jaylynn Stewart and the Eureka women's basketball team are preparing to play Spalding.
The funny thing about that, though, is that they haven't actually played once. Between COVID-19 protocols and winter storms, every time Eureka and Spalding have been ready to face off, something has intervened.
On Sunday at 1 p.m., that pattern is finally going to end, when the Red Devils host the Golden Eagles at Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena and Convocation Center for a long-awaited St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown. It will be a whiteout Sunday at the Reagan.
"With all the cancellations and postponements this year, any time we get to step on the floor is a blessing," Stewart, the Red Devils' second-year head coach, said. "We are just excited to compete and to play another game together."
The Red Devils are coming off a big 69-63 road win against Blackburn – EC's 21st in a row against the Beavers. Eureka controlled and led most of the game, but the Beavers hung around within striking distance, making the Red Devils earn it.
"Blackburn is a tough play for us because it's a highly-emotional game," Stewart said. "There's a lot of crossover of former teammates and coaches between the two teams, so there always seems to feel like there's a lot more riding on those games with them. We are always happy to be in the win column, but there's still so much room for growth."
Stewart likes to call winning "a deodorant." What she means by that is that if you win, it can be easy to fall into complacency and overlook mistakes. It can have a counterintuitive effect if you're not being really process-driven and focusing on playing to a specific standard.
Tuesday's win featured important contributions from a variety of players, including standouts, role players and newcomers.
Freshman Josie Ness falls into the latter category. Stewart says that she's had growing pains in her first season of college basketball, but that she asks for feedback, learns from it and 'works her tail off.' On Tuesday, Ness notched nine points and six rebounds while providing solid defense in the post in 14 minutes of play.
"Just an incredibly solid night for Jo, and she stepped up big-time for us," Stewart said.
On the other end of the experience spectrum, senior star Olivia Falls gave the Red Devils the kind of performance they needed from her. The EC coaching staff has recently challenged Falls to be more assertive, and she responded with a 13-point, nine-rebound showing that included some big buckets when needed.
"She's so selfless and team-first that she never wants to be the one taking all the shots or getting any of the glory," Stewart said of Falls. "We had to flip it for her and explain that it's actually selfish for her not to take more control in games; she's a four-year starter, 1,000-point scorer, and makes over half of the shots she takes. She's done a great job of leaning into that in recent games."
Senior reserve Maddy LaGassa, meanwhile, came off the bench and hit a crucial corner 3 before the fourth quarter.
"She didn't get a ton of minutes but she understands her role, embraces it, and was ready to go as soon as she stepped on the floor," Stewart said of LaGassa.
Spalding also enters coming off a win over Blackburn. The Golden Eagles topped the Beavers by 10 in a 69-59 victory at home that clinched a season series sweep last Saturday.
Senior Natalie Fichter led the way with a double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds. Fichter, who leads the SLIAC in rebounding and is fourth in scoring, shot 50 percent from the field and from distance.
Freshman Maelyn Ridener added 18 points. She leads the SLIAC in 3-point shooting at 45.2 percent, while Fichter is third with 38.9 percent. Junior Molly Thompson pulled down 11 rebounds as well.
The Golden Eagles are now 7-9 on the season and 3-2 in league play. In addition to sweeping Blackburn, they took care of Principia and lost at home against Fontbonne and on the road at Westminster.
"Spalding plays differently than a lot of teams in our conference," Stewart said. "Position for position we match up well, so it should be a really high-energy and exciting game to have in the Reagan."
