By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
The Bishop LeBlond girls' basketball team got off to a 12-2 start and outscored St. Joseph Christian 15-5 in the second quarter, ultimately cruising to a 56-37 win over the Lions at Grace Gymnasium Tuesday.
LeBlond, fresh off of a Mound City Invite championship from over the weekend, handed St. Joseph Christian its first loss of the season Tuesday, and the Golden Eagles are off to a 5-0 start for the third straight season.
"It was a great win for us," said senior Tatum Studer, who led her team in scoring with 18 points. "We need this for districts in order to be the No. 1 seed. So, we're excited about this win. We just knew we needed to come out, do what we always do, and play together as a team. I think we executed that pretty well."
LeBlond shot well Tuesday, knocking down eight total three-pointers. Junior Kyla Conard scored 10 points, while seniors Emma Raines and Shae Lewis each scored six.
Junior Chloe Burnham, who was in foul trouble starting in the first quarter, stayed in for the game's entirety and led the Lions with 18 points.
St. Joseph Christian (4-1) was short a couple of players Tuesday due to illness. They also lost a starter in sophomore Lexi McDaniel about midway through the first half due to an ankle injury.
In the end, it's a key district win for LeBlond, as the Eagles and Lions are both in Class 2 District 16. With the bulk of their lineup back from a season ago, and with every victory coming by at least 18 points so far this season, LeBlond is already making waves in 2022-23.
"It's our senior year," said Studer, one of the four seniors on the Golden Eagles varsity roster. "We're just focused on having fun. It's carrying us a long way - just having fun and playing well.
LeBlond boys get off to fast start, roll Christian at home Tuesday
Bishop LeBlond held St. Joseph Christian to just two made field goals in the first quarter.
The Eagles (3-1), meanwhile, made seven shots from the field in the game's first eight minutes, led 18-5 after one quarter and never looked back in a 68-36 win over the Lions at Grace Gymnasium Tuesday.
Senior Jake Korell led the Golden Eagles with 18 points, and sophomore Cooper Waterman came off the bench and dropped 16 points behind five made three-pointers.
"I think we're in a good position," Waterman said of the season so far. "We've got a lot of people who can score the ball and we have good defenders. I think we have a lot of depth on the team and I think we can make it far."
Senior Landon Gardner also finished with 16 points. Sophomore Vincent Nguyen had nine.
Sophomore Johnston Stewart led Christian (3-2) with nine points on three made triples. Sophomore Nick Orscheln had eight points, while fellow sophomore Hayden Riley and junior Vail Fruechting had six.
Both the LeBlond and Christian girls and boys go on the road Friday. The Eagles play at Stanberry, while the Lions go to Rock Port.
You can follow Tommy on Twitter @TommyKFEQ and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.