The 4th ranked Hennessey Eagles coming off of a stressful win vs the Merritt Oilers, where they trailed in the 3rd quarter before they finally got it going, faced off against the number 1, back-to-back state champion, Dale Pirates. The Eagles were going to have to play A+ basketball to advance to the state championship. They got off to the exact start they needed, holding a 2-score lead for almost the entire 1st quarter and heading into the 2nd with a 5-point cushion. In the 2nd quarter the Pirates came out with much-needed adjustments made, and backed by perfect free throw shooting took a lead against the birds. The offense for the black and blue could not get into a groove, and Dale went on a 15-2 run in the 2nd quarter to take a big-time lead. The Eagles would keep it close though, with Hunter Weber and Jael Torres both scoring double digits, but they went into half trailing 36-24, outscored 21-8 in the 2nd. The rest of the game didn’t go to plan for the Eagles, rebounding struggles defensively and Dales premier free throw shooting propelled the Pirates ahead by an amount that proved insurmountable. Hunter Weber finished with 19, and Jael Torres finished with 16, but the Eagle’s season finished with a state semi-final loss 67-44. Story by AAH Taylor Ladwig, Photos by AAH Jack Quirk
