Eagles split with Ruf-Nex

Sometimes the spark comes from otherwise unsuspecting places.

That’s what Brian Richardson got from his bench as his team pulled away from Crooked Oak 57-31 last Friday at home.

Down a point at the half, the Lady Eagles soared past their visitors with a 28-4 run in the second quarter.

“The girls played nervous and tight in the first half,” Richardson said. “But they turned it around and played well in the second half.”

The spark came from sophomores Joselyn Roman and Callie Rapp.

Each hit a pair of 3-pointers in a span of about three minutes that helped turn the deficit into a runaway lead.

Crooked Oak - with a pair of players 6-feet or taller - posed some issues for the Lady Eagles.

The visitors outscored HHS 16-11 in the second to stake a halftime lead.

The long-range showing in the third quarter helped negate the size advantage.

Emma Copeland led all scorers with her 13 points.

Roman scored 10 points while Star Torres added nine and Kadee Meeker seven.

The Lady Eagles upped their mark to 2-0 with their win.

Crooked Oak boys beat HHS zone, topple Eagles Brady Page called this year’s Crooked Oak team perhaps the best he’s coached against since 2015.

That’s when his Eagles were dealt a 72-47 loss to Centennial in the first round of the Class 3A state tournament.

Crooked Oak looked nearly as formidable last Friday as the Ruf-Nex knocked down 10 3-pointers en route to a 63-47 victory against Hennessey at the Eagle Event Center.

Three of those treys came in the first quarter as the Ruf-Nex opened up a 16-8 lead.

Hennessey kept pace in the second, but Crooked Oak got a 24-point outburst in the third quarter to extend its lead to 50-33.

Elijah Garcia led the way with 21 points. He and Jesus Martinez made three 3-pointers apiece. Martinez finished with 10.

Hennessey got 19 points out of Jael Torres while James Sims added 14.

The Ruf-Nex outscored Hennessey 30-6 from long range as the Eagles dropped to 1-1 on the season.