The Eagles ended the month of January with an exclamation point. Both basketball teams were up for a road trip, traveling to Creston, Iowa, where they would both play Southwestern Community College. Then, after a quick turn-around, they headed to Grand Island, Nebraska, where they took on Central Community College. They returned back to Cedar Rapids going a combined 4-0.
Men’s Basketball:
Kirkwood 81 at Southwestern 51
The Eagles kicked off their week against the Spartans (8-14) for a conference matchup. Kirkwood opened the first half winning 44-31, led by freshman forward Manasse Kasongo and freshman guard Kayvion Hodges, who combined for 19 points. Southwestern went into the second half not falling too far behind, but it wasn’t enough for Kirkwood, as they outscored the Trojans 37-27 in the second. The Eagles comfortably won 81-58. Leading scorers on the day were Kasongo (14), sophomore guard Richard Lindsay Jr. (12) and freshman forward Grayson Wollum (10). The Southwestern Spartans record falls to 8-15.
Kirkwood 86 at Central 67
After a strong road win against Southwestern, the Eagles set up against the Raiders (9-14) for a conference matchup. The game started off back and forth. When the first half ended, the Eagles were only up by eight points. Sophomore guard Ben Bockman put up 10 first half points. However, it was the second half that Kirkwood ran away with the win. Bockman, Kasongo and Wollum each scored eight points as Central was outscored by 18 points in the second half. Despite the Raiders having a higher 3PT% on the day, the Eagles forced 18 turnovers, as Central was never able to catch up to Kirkwood. Bockman finished the day with 18 points, leading both teams in scoring. The Central Raiders record falls to 9-15.
This sweep adds on to Kirkwood’s 8-game win streak, as its record improves to 18-5 on the season and 10-4 during conference play. This week, the Eagles will face off against Iowa Western Community College (Feb. 4) and Western Iowa Tech (Feb. 7).
Women’s Basketball:
Kirkwood 91 at Southwestern 24
After a disappointing overtime loss against NIACC, the Eagles were hungry for a comeback win while facing the Spartans (4-17) for a conference matchup. After just two quarters, the Eagles were already up 65-10. Kirkwood kept applying pressure and eventually won 91-24. Southwestern was held to a 17.4 shooting percentage and committed 25 turnovers. Five Eagles scored in double digits: freshman guard Bra’Ja Torry (11), sophomore forward Whitney Sullivan (10), freshman guard Molly Roling (10), freshman forward Kaci Crum (10) and freshman forward Dasia Foster (10). Most impressively, Kirkwood combined for 19 total steals as a team. The Southwestern Spartans record falls to 4-18.
Kirkwood 92 at Central 44
After a 67-point win, the Eagles faced off against the Raiders (7-15) for a conference matchup. Around a minute into the game, the Raiders saw themselves up by three points, though, after Olivia Moestcher scored a layup and Olivia Wren made a three-pointer, the Eagles quickly gained the lead and never gave it back. Central outscored Kirkwood by six points in the fourth quarter, but after being down by 48 points, the task was impossible. Sullivan and Sophomore guard Olivia Wren both had 19 points. Kirkwood racked up 17 steals in the win while four of the five starters had at least three. The Central Raiders fell to a 6-16 record.
After back-to-back wins, the Eagles are sitting at a strong 19-3 record heading into February. This week, the Eagles will face off against Iowa Western Community College (Feb. 4) and Southeastern Community College (Feb. 7).
Eagles of the Week:
Manasse Kasongo: 16 PPG, 2.5 APG, 5 RPG, 2 SPG, 13-for-20 FG, 1-for-2 3PT
Freshman forward Manasse Kasongo improves his stellar season after another strong week. He led all Eagles in points per game — all in an efficient manner. Making 65% of the shots he attempted last week. His reliability on offense and his impact on defense helped lead the Eagles to a 2-0 week. This is Kasongo’s first Eagle of the Week nomination.
Bra’Ja Torry: 7 PPG, 5 APG, 6.5 RPG, 3.5 SPG, 4-for-8 FG, 1-2 3PT
Freshman guard Bra’Ja Torry had herself an extremely impactful week. While averaging just three points on the season and only having started in six of 22 games played, Torry made her presence known last week, leading the Eagles in assists and rebounds. While having only averaged seven points per game last week, her off ball defense turned into a strong offense, as she averaged 3.5 steals per game. This is Torry’s first Eagles of the Week nomination.
Categories: Eagles Weekly, Sports
