The boys’ basketball team continued to build steam during West Sierra League (WSL) play with a 71-58 home victory over Liberty on Jan. 13. Despite losing at Caruthers on Jan. 9, the Eagles remain a force in the WSL and a favorite to win league.

According to head coach Mike Neal, the team’s younger players are gaining more experience daily, which will make the team even stronger later in the season.

“Our young guys are making progress every day,” Neal said. “The more they continue to improve, the stronger our team will be and the better our chances to win league are.”

In their victory over Liberty, the boys were led by junior guard Ross Charest’s 24 points. Charest, who has been an invaluable addition to this year’s squad, leads the Eagles in points per game and is their floor leader.

“”Basketball is a team sport,” Charest said. “While the stats may say I score the most points, what really matters is that we play together as a team since that is what gives us the best chance to win.”

Despite their convincing victory over Liberty, the boys ran into trouble on the road against Caruthers. After bursting out to a13-point first quarter lead, the Eagles offense died, as Caruthers outscored them the rest of the game using strong offensive rebounding and tough defense.

“Caruthers rebounding, especially offensively, just killed us,” Layne Meadows, ’05, said. “We played very hard but in the end things just didn’t go our way. It’s hard to take a loss but we have to concentrate on the rest of our league schedule.”

The Eagles (2-1) next play at Riverdale on Jan. 16, with tip-off at 7:30 P.M.” “” “” “” “” “Insert text here