Despite starting the season 33-0, the Kirkwood Eagles could not complete the perfect season to bring home their ninth national championship. Instead, they finished fourth in the nation.
“Being undefeated heading into the nationals was a great achievement,” said head coach Kim Muhl. “It is extremely difficult for that to happen.
“Winning the national championship takes a lot of things to happen and go right since your team must win four games. Match-ups can play a major role in a team’s quest to win it.”
The Eagles fell to the Johnson County Cavaliers in the semi-finals 66-60 despite leading for most of the game.
A 12-4 run by the Cavaliers to start the fourth quarter ended the Eagles’ hopes of winning back-to-back national championships and completing the perfect season.
In the next game against the CCBC Essex Knights, the Eagles were defeated 109-84 in a game where they allowed 24 3-pointers on 51.1% shooting.
Despite the Loss, sophomore forward Lizzy Puot had an excellent game recording 27 points, 5 rebounds and an assist on 55% from the field.
“We knew what type of game it was, CCBC Essex is a guard-oriented team who isn’t as strong as we are in the post,” said Puot. “We kept executing our plays to get them tangled up and just go to work on them.”
She added, “I thank God for the wonderful teammates and opportunities I have had at my time at Kirkwood. Despite the loss we had this year, I couldn’t be more proud o my teammates.”
Sophomore guard Jenna Twedt was named to the All-Tournament team, averaging 14.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game on 37.7% from the field in her four games.
“I am very grateful for the season we had,” said Twedt. “Basketball is a very long season, and it can be a lot. I am very proud of my team, and I wouldn’t change a thing about our season.”
“We definitely didn’t end the way we wanted to,” she continued, “and I will admit the last game was not our best. That was definitely the hardest game to play in. Knowing we were playing for third and fourth was not the best feeling.
“Again, though, I’m still very proud of my team, playing four games, three in three days, in a week takes a toll on you for sure.”
“This team had a great year and should be proud of what they accomplished,” added Muhl. “Unfortunately, with all the success of our program over the years, having a 33-2 record gets overlooked sometimes.”
This season pushed the Eagles’ record to 68-4 over the last two seasons, a historic win rate. They now look to rebound and come back strong next season.
Categories: Basketball, Sports
