Eagles on the rise: Smyrna High girls grab one-game lead in North

The Eagles started out a little tight, but as time wore on, Smyrna High girls’ basketball coach James Kiger could see his team’s confidence grow.

“Somewhere around the second quarter, they believed they could really win this game, and that made a big difference for us,” Kiger said after the Eagles’ pivotal home game against Dover on Jan. 27.

At stake was sole possession of first place in the Henlopen Conference Northern Division standings.

The Senators played a very physical game, but the Eagles were able to keep their focus and grind out a tough, 66-46 win.

The victory gave the Smyrna girls a one-game lead in the North, but a number of tough games remain on the schedule, including a rematch against the Senators on Feb. 16 in Dover.

After falling slightly behind early in the second quarter, Smyrna closed out the first half with a big run.

The Eagles started to pull away with free throws, and then their balanced offense shifted into high gear. Jasmine Hilliard sank a three-pointer, Betnjiah Laney hit a jump shot, and then Crystal Ross grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on the put back to give the Eagles a 30-14 lead heading into halftime.

Momentum started to swing the other way in the second half as Dover chipped away at the lead with perimeter shooting.

The Senators trailed 42-33 going into the fourth quarter, but they wouldn’t get much closer.

The Eagles delivered from the free throw line and extended their lead late in the game.

Laney, who scored 15 of her 29 points from the free throw line, said the Eagles knew that Dover would come in with a physical game plan.

“We kept our composure,” she said. “We stuck together and played hard.”

The key for Smyrna was “not letting them get us out of our game,” said Ross, who scored 15 points in the win.

“We just worked as a team,” said Hilliard, who scored 13 points for the Eagles, including eight in the final quarter.

Coach Kiger was pleased with the team effort.

“The biggest thing is we’re playing as a team – that was our No. 1 goal in the off season, and that’s what we’re starting to do,” he said.

Eagles win eighth straight

The day after their win against Dover, the Smyrna girls extended their winning streak to eight games with a road victory at Delmar.

The Eagles took control of the game in the first half and won 60-33. Laney led the Eagles in scoring with 24 points, followed by Ross with 18, Jackie Jenkins with five, Hilliard and Alexis Fearrington with four each, Quontay Hicks with three and Kaitlin Brown with two.

Two days earlier, Smyrna topped Polytech, 65-27. The Eagles outscored the Panthers 31-3 in the first quarter. Laney netted 28 points for the Eagles, Ross scored 10, and Hicks, Hilliard and Jenkins had seven each. Fearrington had six points for Smyrna.

Upcoming games

In their next home game, the Smyrna High girls will host Sussex Tech on Thursday, Feb. 4.

The Eagles are also scheduled to visit Cape Henlopen on Tuesday, Feb. 2.