"Eagles Day Team Camp" Results (Saturday, June 4th)

In the first of three "Eagles Day Team Camps," The Eagles boys varsity and junior varsity summer league teams played a total of five games Saturday against three solid high school basketball programs.  Games started at 8AM and ended before 3 PM.  The varsity team played Cross Creek High School and Grovetown High School.  The junior varsity team faced the junior varsity teams of Cross Creek, Grovetown, and Glenn Hills High School.  Additionally, Cross Creek and Grovetown played varsity and junior varsity games against each other.

Game 1
Cross Creek 53, Eagles 36 (varsity)
In the opening game, the Cross Creek and the Augusta Eagles varsity teams traded baskets and leads throughout the first half before the Razorbacks established a 31-25 halftime advantage.  Consistent outside shooting by Razorback guards Isaiah Medina and Marcus Lofland and aggressive man to man defense proved to be difficult for the Eagles to counter.  But the Eagles, paced by Matt Miller's 17 and Dominic Brown's 6 first half points, made enough shots and defended and rebounded well enough to enter halftime within striking distance.

The second half belonged to Cross Creek.  A three quarter court press forced the Eagles to turn the ball over and struggle to find decent shooting opportunities.  Although the Eagles, by defending well and rebounding aggressively, were able to keep the Razorback lead below double digits until late in the half, Cross Creek's Marcus Lofland's barrage of three point baskets sealed a 53-36 victory for Cross Creek.

Cross Creek's victory followed an impressive win over Richmond Academy in the Richmond County Summer League Wednesday, June 1st.  The loss was the first of the summer for the Eagles, who opened June with two early wins.

Game 2

Cross Creek 50, Eagles 30 (junior varsity)

The Cross Creek junior varsity team overwhelmed the Augusta Eagles junior varsity team in the morning's second game.  The Razorbacks scored early and often, and they held the Eagles to less than 10 first half points.  After trailing the Razorbacks 34-9 at intermission, Augusta was able to outscore Cross Creek 21-16 in the second half, posting a more respectable 50-30 gull game score.  Jacob Greenway scored 18 points for the Eagles in the loss.  The game was the first full junior varsity contest of the summer for both teams.

Game 3
Eagles 62, Grovetown 54 (varsity)

After the Cross Creek teams finished their day with wins over the Grovetown Warriors, 65-39 in the varsity game and 63-38 in the junior varsity game, the Eagles varsity team returned to the floor at noon to face Grovetown High School's varsity team.  In an exciting first half, the Grovetown Warriors buried 7 three point baskets.  The Eagles matched the Warriors' scoring output, paced by Matt Miller's 19 first half points and timely baskets by Jonathan Pye, Paul Jones, Jacob Greenway, and Dominic Brown.

The Warriors opened the second half with a 19-11 scoring run that provided a 51-43 Grovetown lead with five minutes remaining.  But the Eagles finished the contest with a 19-3 run and earned a 62-54 win.  Trailing 51-49 with 4 minutes remaining, Augusta's Matt Miller received a solid screen from Dominic Brown and a perfectly timed pass from Jacob Greenway before quickly releasing and converting a three point basket, giving the Eagles a 1 point advantage.  On the next possession, Miller, Brown, and Greenway cooperated to produce the same result to give the Eagles a 55-51 lead.  After a Grovetown three point basket cut the Eagles lead to 55-54, Brown responded with a running one handed shot in the middle of the lane to give the Eagles a 57-54 advantage.  As the Eagles attempted to protect the lead in the game's closing minutes, Jordan Pye and Jonathan Pye grabbed offensive rebounds and made steals, leading to late baskets that provided the games final eight point margin.

The 62-54 victory was the third in the Eagles opening four summer league games.  Matt Miller led the Eagles in scoring with 36 points, Jacob Greenway added 8 points, and Paul Jones and Jonathan Pye each scored 6 points for the Eagles.

Game 4
Eagles 32, Grovetown 17 (junior varsity)
Following the varsity game, the Augusta Eagles junior varsity team defeated the Grovetown junior varsity team.  The Eagles got scoring contributions from six different players and extended a 15-10 halftime lead to a 32-17 victory.  The core group of Eagles junior varsity players participating in the summer league - Jeremy Wright, TJ Massenburg, Evan Newman, and Michael Green - all made significant contributions in the team's first win of the summer.  Jeremy Wright recorded 10 points, including 2 three point baskets.  Evan Newman and Michael Green combined to score three baskets and secure numerous rebounds and loose balls.  TJ Massenburg was solid defensively, blocking shots and grabbing rebounds.  The varsity players who filled out the junior varsity roster - Zach Miller, Jonathan Pye, Jordan Pye, and Jacob Greenway - generally took turns supporting the core group as the team's fifth player, providing good leadership, smart play, and timely baskets.

Game 5
Glenn Hills 57, Eagles 25

In the day's final game, the Eagles junior varsity played its third game (actually the fifth game for the players who participated in both the varsity and the junior varsity games) against the Glenn Hills High School junior varsity squad.  After a long day for the Eagles, the superior talent and athletic ability of the Spartans was way too much for Augusta to handle.  Aubrey Mcrae led the Spartans with 9 first half points.  The Spartans led 29-10 at the break.  Despite having little success, the Eagles refused to give up before losing 57-25.  Jacob Greenway scored 18 of the Eagles 25 points in the loss.  The Eagles junior varsity summer league record falls to one win and two losses.