| Megan Valgardsen is having a tremendous preseason with the Golden Eagles. She has continuously lead CEU in rebounding and offers the team strength and talent in the paint. Valgardsen is sure to be a dominant force for CEU this year. |
The College of Eastern Utah women’s basketball team has been preparing for the regular season by competing against various junior college teams.
So far, the Eagles have done well. Their current record stands at 5-5 as they look forward to competing against Snow College, the first Scenic West Athletic Conference team CEU will play during the preseason.
“Snow is always a good team, but I think that we are capable of beating them this year,” explained Eagles head coach Dave Paur.
After taking a much needed week off, the Eagles look forward to getting back to work.
The last time the Eagles competed was the weekend of Nov. 21 at the Casper Tournament in Wyoming. CEU completed the three day tourney with a 2-1 record.
Opening game pitted the Eagles against Casper College. The squad from CEU struggled from the field as they shot only 24 percent, thus leading to their only loss of the tourney, with the final score, 81-53.
The following night, the Eagles improved their shooting as they completed the game with a 50 percent average from the field. The Eagles played strong and handed Rocky Mountain College a 93-73 loss.
Leading scorer for CEU in this game was Megan Valgardsen who finished with 20 points. She also lead the team in rebounding with 12.
Cassie Warburton followed in scoring with 17 points while Cassie Mills completed the game with 12 points.
The final game of the tourney for the Eagles was against Sheridan College. Once again, the Eagles played strong and handed the Lady Generals a 73-50 loss.
The Eagles maintained a 50 percent field goal average against the generals as Rose Hamilton lead the team in scoring with 13 points.
Following in scoring was Kasey Mills with 12 points and Warburton with 11 points.
Once again, Valgardsen stepped up and outpowered the competition under the basket as she pulled down nine rebounds against the Generals.
“We have one of the better defenses this school has ever saw. They are really strong and tough. Our shooting needs improvement however. I think that this is something that will come around as the season kicks off,” explained Paur.
Because the volleyball season overlaps the preseason in basketball, the Eagles have competed in several games without Warburton and Cheryl Grant.
“These two are great players and they have really done well so far. We have played against several top five teams including Midland and Central Arizona and we have done well against them. I think that this will be a good year for us,” concluded Paur.
The Eagles will compete on the road this week, but will return to the BDAC next weekend as they host an all-star team from Orem.