Friday night the Eagles and Lady Eagles traveled in freezing weather and snowy conditions to a packed Marshall County gym for the first matchup of the year with the Marshals. Anyone who knows anything about the Marshall-Graves rivalry knows that this game never disappoints. Friday night was no exception as the Eagles and the Marshals split, with Graves’ girls losing 41-37, and the boys winning by a one point margin, 59-58.

Coming into the night’s game, the Lady Marshals were ranked number two in the region. The night started off slow with only nine points scored the entire quarter first quarter; seven from the Lady Marshals and two coming from the Lady Eagles. Going in at the half, the Lady Eagles were down 25-9.

In the second half, the Lady Eagles came out roaring, outscoring the Marshall 28-16. With time winding down in the fourth quarter, Graves stayed close with Marshall. Bethany Cartwright hit a three point shot with eight seconds remaining in the game to put the Eagles within three. The Lady Eagles were then forced to start fouling. It was just a little too late, as the Lady Eagles ran out of time, losing by four points after a hard fought game.

Junior Bailey Hawkins led the Lady Eagles in scoring putting up a big 13 points and five rebounds. Right behind her was junior Bethany Cartwright with eight points and six rebounds. The Lady Eagles went eight for 14 at the charity stripe and pulled down 33 rebounds.

After an intense girls game, the number one ranked Eagles came into Marshall County expecting, like always, a tough game. Tempers flared as calls were not favorable for either team all night. Throughout the first three quarters of the game, the Marshals lead the Eagles.

Senior Justin Hayden drained a three pointer with three minutes left in the game to put the Eagles ahead by one. With the Eagles taking the lead, Marshall’s big man, Austin Rentfrow, fouled out, giving the Eagles another edge. It was all Graves from there. Peyton Puckett and Jake Williams each had a set of free throws that put the game just out of reach from the Marshals. The final score was 59-58 in favor of Graves.

Three days prior, on Tuesday the 14^th, the Cairo, Illinois Pilots flew to the Eagles Nest for a double header. Both Graves’ boys and girls finished with a win, after playing rather rough games. The girls won by a large margin of 36 points, 74-38. After the girls game, the Eagles kept it close until the fourth quarter, when they pulled ahead of the Pilots and finished the game 88-36.

The Lady Eagles are now 10-8, while the Eagles are 17-2 and remain the number one team in the region. After suffering a loss to Calloway County earlier in the season, the Lady Eagles will have a chance for redemption on Jan 21, as the Lady Lakers travel to the Eagles Nest. On Jan 21, the Eagles will travel to Hopkinsville to take on the Tigers. In the second round of the 2013 boys state tournament, Hopkinsville ended the 2012-2013 season for the Eagles.