Eagles soaring, win 4th straight

It has been a season of ups and downs for the Covenant boys’ basketball team. On Jan. 31, the Eagles fell on the road at Carlisle, suffering their fifth straight loss. Fast forward 13 days later and Covenant is one of the hottest teams in Central Virginia. The Eagles won their fourth game in a row on Tuesday night, crushing visiting Holy Cross, 63-30.  

The Eagles took control of the game in the opening minutes and never looked back. Jeremiah Morris netted the first six Covenant points of the game, and scored 10 of his game-high 16 points in the first quarter. Hernon Henderson picked up the slack and scored eight of his 11 points to close out the quarter. This is both Henderson and Morris’ first year in the program after transferring from Albemarle. Morris and Henderson have played prominent roles in the winning streak on both ends of the floor.   

“Those two are the spark plugs for the team,” Covenant head coach Travis Johnson said. “They are the energizers for us and get everybody going. When they can get going, everyone else is ready to jump on the bandwagon.”  

Center David Rogers picked up the slack on offense for the Eagles in the second quarter, scoring seven points. Rogers used his 6-foot-7 frame to overwhelm the Gaels, and Covenant would extend its lead to 15 points at the half.  

The Eagles would continue to extend their advantage in the second half, outscoring Holy Cross 18-5 in the third quarter. While the Eagles kept their foot on the gas offensively, it was the defense that was the story in the second half. Covenant held the Gaels to just 13 points in the final half. Monday night marked the third time in four games that the Eagles have held their opponent to under 40 points. Covenant is only surrendering an average of 35 points per game during the winning streak.  

“Our defense has really come on in these last few games,” Johnson said. “We’ve had goals each game to try to hold opponents to a certain field goal percentage and a certain amount of points. I’m really excited about the way our defense has come along. We still have a little ways to go, but we’re getting there.”  

Covenant will close out the regular season on Thursday night at home against North Cross. The Raiders come in at first place in the conference and have won six of their last eight games. Back on Jan. 10, the Eagles gave North Cross all it could handle before falling by three points on the road.  

“They beat us at their place and we’re excited,” Johnson said. “We try not to put any added pressure on ourselves. It’s a big game because it’s the next one, but every game that we have after that is the next big game.”  

Added Morris: “It’s a big game. They’re No. 1 in the conference, so just to prove a point we've got to go out there and beat them.”

Thursday's tip off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.