By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
Two basketball teams who have perfect records, who both happen to be called the Eagles and who both happen to bear a purple color scheme, walk into a gym.
No, that's not a joke. That's exactly what happened Monday, as Class 2 and No. 1 ranked Bishop LeBlond took on Class 1 and No. 2 ranked Meadville at Grace Gymnasium.
In a high-paced affair in front of a packed house, Meadville (23-0) outscored LeBlond in the final quarter 11-2 and went onto win 49-43 at LeBlond High School on Monday night in a battle of unbeatens.
"(Meadville) executed their offense and scored and we didn't," LeBlond head coach Jackie Steltenpohl said, when asked about the fourth quarter. "They pressured us really well defensively and we weren't able to put the ball in the hole."
LeBlond (20-1) fell behind early and got down by as many as eight in the first half, but they hung in and only trailed 31-26 at the break.
The third quarter was LeBlond's best, as the Eagles started the second half on a 13-4 run to take a 39-35 lead.
In some ways, though, the third would end up being the toughest for LeBlond, as senior forward Emma Raines went down with an apparent knee injury late in the third and didn't return to the game.
"It always hurts to lose a player," Steltenpohl said. "Emma is a strong defender and rebounder, and she was getting those open shots. Having her go down early, it definitely kind of affected us mentally, and definitely physically with bodies on the floor."
The Eagles still led 41-38 entering the fourth, but Meadville eventually pulled back in front 45-43 and never looked back. LeBlond was limited to just two points over the final eight minutes, and Meadville made 7-of-10 free throws in the fourth quarter alone to secure the win.
While Meadville was 11-for-20 on free throws Monday, LeBlond was just 2-of-4.
Freshman Madison Carvajal was outstanding for Meadville, as she finished with a game-high 23 points. She made 6-of-8 free throw attempts in the final quarter herself. Junior Korrie Holcer had 12 points.
Senior Tatum Studer led LeBlond with 14 points. Raines and junior Kaleigh Ziesel each scored eight. Meadville's press and overall tight defense kept LeBlond off balance throughout the game, as Meadville was able to force 21 turnovers.
It was an incredible run to start the season for LeBlond. The Golden Eagles ran the table at the Mound City Invitational, the LeBlond tournament and the Richmond tournament. One of their first 20 wins was a 39-35 triumph against No. 1 Tipton, who at the time was 17-0.
The first loss of the season always stings no matter what, but with still five games to go before districts, Steltenpohl knows that a game like Monday's can also be a big help down the road.
"Losing to a great team, it's always something where we can appreciate the opportunity to learn from our mistakes," she said. "Losing to that caliber of team is not necessarily a tough loss, but it's mentally and physically going to make us stronger for what's to come."
LeBlond is home to Cameron on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
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