Eagles Fall to Efficient Royals Offense

Kynnedy Miller led the Juniata attack as the junior collected ten points, including a pair of three-pointers and three rebounds. Haily Sherman collected nine points while going a perfect four-for-four from the free throw line. Off the bench, Olivia Berg led the way with four points. 

The Royals opened the first with six points in the first two minutes, including an open three from the center. Juniata quickly fired back as Steph Emert found Sherman open on the right corner for a three to get back to 6-3. Scranton followed this with two layups resulting from Eagle turnovers. 

They tacked on two more layups in the next minute to go ahead 15-3 through five minutes. The Eagles began to narrow the gap as Coolidge drove from the right for a layup. Scranton sank one of two free throws before Miller stepped back on the right wing and fired a three-pointer to get back to 16-8. Nonemaker blocked on the next Scranton possession, and Aleya Eisenberg found Berg to get back within six with two minutes left in the first. Scranton ended the first quarter on a five-point run with a pair of layups and a free throw to stand at 21-10 through ten minutes. 

The Eagles maintained the gap in the second quarter, as they were narrowly outscored 13-11. Emily McCann opened the second by forcing a Royals foul, and she sank one of two. Scranton hit a layup on the next possession, but McCann rebounded a missed Eagles shot for the layup to get back within ten at 23-13. Scranton hit another layup, but Juniata soon narrowed the gap as Sherman forced two fouls within a minute, sinking all four free throw attempts.  

Scranton responded with a six-point run that included two jump shots to go ahead by 14. Coolidge drove from the right side for another layup with three minutes to play, but the Royals tacked on three points to go ahead 34-19. Sherman ended the half with a layup to go into halftime down 34-21. 

Scranton stomped out any chance of an Eagles comeback in the third quarter as they posted 24 points against six from Juniata, as the Royals went three-for-three on three-pointers and 66.7% on field goals.  

Scranton posted five points in the first two minutes before Emert found Sarah Betts for a jumper. Scranton then converted two of two free throws before a Betts pass from outside the third-point line found Miller driving into the key for a layup. From there, Scranton posted 15 unanswered points before Eisenberg hit a layup, and Scranton hit a jumper to end the third quarter with Juniata down 56-27. 

Scoring was hard to come by in the fourth quarter, but the Eagles were able to outscore Scranton 7-4. Dani Scipioni saw Miller open at the center, and Miller sank a three to open the scoring in the fourth. Miller hit a layup, and Berg wrapped up scoring for Juniata with a jump shot, as Scranton managed a pair of layups in the final four minutes. 

Juniata hosts a mid-week Landmark Conference clash as Catholic comes to Memorial Gymnasium Wednesday, January 25th, for a 7:00 pm tipoff.