Home, Sweet Home

Judy Garland couldn't have said it better. With a light blue dress and those ridiculous red heels, she echoed one of the most famous lines, not only in Hollywood, but quite possibly in history. "There's no place like home."

And, boy, do the guys of the Christian High School Eagles know it.

When Dave Meers stepped up and took over the role of varsity coach in the 2008-2009 season, the CHS gymnasium became a place of fear for visiting opponents. Spanning since the '08-'09 season, the Eagles had captured 23 straight home victories. And while there had been some close calls, the Eagles had, for the most part, easily dominated their opponents on their home floor.

But it really isn't a streak until you defeat a ranked school with a reputation for a great basketball team. Right?

Well, Coach Meers, you can check that off your list.

On Friday night, the Eagles triumphed over the Whitfield Warriors, the 8th ranked small school in Missouri. The Warriors had knocked off teams such as Cardinal Ritter (and their D-1 bound forward), Ladue (twice), and GAC schools Zumwalt West and St. Charles West. In one of the most anticipated games of the season, the Eagles not only won...they rolled. The Eagles were sharp in every facet of the game tonight and they dominated everywhere, from the perimeter to the paint. The result? A 61-50 victory that sent the Warriors away, deflated and shocked. I can remember seeing the faces of the players on both teams. As you can guess, both teams carried a different visage. Whitfield was stunned. They were ranked. They were fast. They could shoot. So to them, the question that dominated their face was something along the lines of, "What just happened?"
The Eagles' faces carried the response.
"That just happened."
The Eagles were pumped. Not only were most of their faces covered in ear-to-ear smiles, they were waving their fellow students in to crowd around them. I've never seen anything like what I saw on the faces of the guys tonight. This wasn't just another victory. This wasn't even a great victory. This was something special.
Led by Adam Glenville, the starters contributed every point of the game (Glenville 21, Frank 18, Meers 7, Pickett 8, Norwine 7.) And tonight the Eagles put up 61 of the smartest points they have put up all season. How so you may ask? They found the holes and weaknesses of the Whitfield defense, namely, the paint. Meers, Pickett and Glenville dominated the glass tonight, combining for 25 boards. The Eagles had the clear size advantage and used it to tear apart that wall in the Warrior's defense. Another impressive part of the Eagles game tonight was their shot selection. Unfortunately I don't have all the stats at this point, but the guys' passes were crisp, controlled and accurate. They had great court vision and were quick enough to fool the Warrior's quick guards. And while the Eagles didn't fire up as many threes tonight (nor did they make as many), the threes they did hit came at key points in the game. I remember two specifically. In the first quarter, Glenville knocked home a trey that put the Eagles in a solid position to start the game. Another big three came at the hands of Blake Meers (or, as he was deemed tonight, Jimmer.) Late in the game, when the Eagles had scrapped their way to a small lead, Jimmer buried a top-of-the-key three. This was a nail in the Warrior's coffin and from that point on, the Eagles had the upper-hand. And finally, the Eagles ball-handling was great. Guards Brendan Norwine and Andrew Frank did a great job of moving the ball as far as they could before dishing it off and keeping their moves tight and low. This never gave the fast hands of the opponents to get a clean shot at the ball, and when they did, they fouled. All pieces that worked to create a beautiful puzzle.

Yes, Dorothy, there is no place like home.

But does this win transcend the Eagles' dominance at home? Does it show growth?

I talked to Coach Dave Lehmann after the game and he talked about what he thought was going to be the turning point of the season, the loss to then undefeated St. Louis Christian Cougars. He mentioned how it was the first complete game that the Eagles had played and how the guys were getting used to a faster-paced speed of the game. Well, was Coach Lehmann right about the game? Well here's a telling stat that I think proves his point...

In the three games that the Eagles have played since the St. Louis Christian loss, The Eagles have outscored their opponents by an average of 12.333 points. Not much, you say? Well when the opponents are Gateway Tech, Fox, and Whitfield, I don't think there's much of an argument anymore.


Now, the rest of the season won't be easy for the Eagles. They still have to face teams like Crossroads, Westminster, Brentwood, and Timberland. Westminster and Brentwood come to CHS. Crossroads and T-Land will be on the road. But other than that, the Eagles are in the home stretch, peaking at the right time; right before districts. If the Eagles can win out, they will enter a weak district with a 20-5 record, most likely earning themselves a #1 seed and a first round bye. And while nothing is guaranteed, there's nothing right now that says the Eagles can't do it. They're playing inspired basketball and it seems like they will get even better. They're becoming a team to fear. And this goes for the on the road as well as home.

Whitfield just had to learn the hard way I suppose.