After Slow Start, Jersey Powers Past CM

Jersey head coach Stote Reeder said it took a while to get going and once they did, their defense was awfully good against CM. Reeder said he was proud of his team for how they played overall and mentioned Shalley as a standout for his 23 points and 12 rebounds.

CM Head Coach Adam Miller said his team came out good and Jersey is big and physical and shot the ball well, then went cold. "We had 21 points and seemed like stuck on 21 forever and they went on a run and that killed us. So far we haven't been shooting ourselves well. Playing from behind got beat by dribble a lot of times. We have a lot to learn." 

Grant Lane opened the game for the Eagles with a pair of threes to give CM an early 6-0 lead, but from thereon, Jersey took control, scoring the next 15 points of the period, eventually making it 17-9 at the end of the period, giving them a lead they would never relinquish. It was Shalley who hit a three to tie the game at 6-6, then hit inside with 3:07 left in the first to give the Panthers the lead for good. 

Jersey took a 28-15 lead at halftime, then put the game away in the third quarter, with Shalley scoring 11 points in the period as the Panthers outscored CM 22-6 and took a 50-21 lead after three. The Eagles did outscore Jersey 16-3 late after the running clock rule was put into play. 

Besides Shalley, Seth Churchman had 11 points, while Alex Strebel scored six for the Panthers. Travis Hilligoss led the Eagles with 12 points, while Sam Buckley had 11 points, and Lane ended up with seven. 

A strong defense by Jersey forced 25 CM turnovers, many of which the Panthers were able to score off of to help take control. 

Jersey is now 4-3 on the year and 1-0 in the MVC. Jersey will host Waterloo in a conference match-up Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m. The Eagles fall to 1-6, 0-2 in the league, and host Mascoutah Tuesday night in a 7:30 p.m. tip, then play at Marquette Catholic Dec. 20, with the tip-off again set for 7:30 p.m.