Lady Eagles Receive Consolation For The Holidays

The Lady Eagles (4-5) landed fifth with a consolation victory at their 13th Annual Peoples Bank Holiday Classic.

Sullivan tipped off tournament play with a 47-34 loss to No. 3 St. Pius X (2-5) on Monday, Dec. 16.

The Lady Eagles rebounded with a 58-25 rout over Salem (3-3) the following Wednesday. They beat the brakes off the seventh-seeded Tigers, punching their ticket for the consolation round.

Sullivan went on to steal fifth place from No. 5 Steelville (1-5) with a 41-30 victory, upsetting the Lady Cardinals as the sixth seed.

Head coach Jordan Flora was proud of his team’s success in overcoming an early loss to win their final two games. He was happy that the Lady Eagles cleaned up their turnovers and boosted their energy defensively by “trapping all over, just trying to create a little bit more chaos.”

Flora was also glad to see Sullivan improve their accuracy towards the net, saying, “We shot the ball so much better. You know, [these] girls got [their] confidence against Salem. We just shot it; we hit seven or eight threes. And coming in [against Steelville], it just led over to [that] game.”

Flora hopes Sullivan heads into 2025 with the notion that winning is possible if everyone gives it their all, as they did in the final two rounds of the Holiday Classic. He explained, “It takes all eleven girls. It doesn’t matter whose night it is—whatever it is. You got to come up and step up and play. And we’ve shown that [in] the last few games, you know, different girls step up and score. And that’s what we’re living on. So, I’m proud of the girls. It’s a fun team, and I’m excited for after Christmas break now.”

The coach was proud of Molly Lohden for stepping up and playing a crucial role in the consolation game. Flora was happy to see her shooting accuracy improve and “get some [baskets] falling in” against Steelville. He was also excited to see Katie Miller fire “some big, big shots” in their second match against Salem. 

Flora was impressed with Cora Shetley and Karlee Head’s ability to crash the boards while effectively racking up scores. Head represented Sullivan on the All-Tournament Team.

The coach also praised Lily Schmuke for her defensive prowess. She locked down the court, pickpocketing the ball to give Sullivan extra possessions.

After steamrolling through tough competition, the Lady Eagles enter Winter Break with high spirits. They look forward to making more memories this season, as the Holiday Classic is just the beginning.

Flora aims to build on their success in 2025. He saw the dominance that Sullivan brings with a “full team effort,” high “energy from the bench” and “everybody stepping up and doing their role.” The Lady Eagles head into the new year knowing they control their destiny from here on out.

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