The Canyon Eagles open their season tonight against the West Plains Wolves. The Eagles head into district with an overall record of 3-6.

The Eagles boys basketball team started the 2023 season with a different outlook after losing nine players and only adding three new players to the roster. The Eagles boys basketball team ended the 2022 season in the Regional finals with a record of 28-4. Boys Head Coach Travis Schulte hopes to reach their potential and maybe further.

“This is a solid group of young men that have a ton of potential,” Schulte said. “Every team is different so this group is working hard to create their own identity.”

Schulte said he is looking forward to being around this group of players and he is excited about the process of them maturing into a team.

“We’ve played an incredibly tough schedule so far, so the wins have been hard to come by,” Schulte said. “But we are on the right track to becoming who we are striving to be.”

Senior Ian Armstrong said he is looking forward to the energy of this season with anticipation to make it back to the Regional tournament and maybe compete for a spot at State.

“This season we’re trying to play our game and not let anyone take us out of that,” Armstrong said. “We’ve had a bit of a rocky start but we’re working on turning things around, there’s always room for improvement.”

Meanwhile the Lady Eagles won their first district game against Dumas Tuesday Dec. 12. The Lady Eagles will move into their next district game against West Plains with a 1-0 district record.

The Lady Eagles are starting this season fresh with a new team after graduating eight seniors in the 2022-2023 season. They ended the 2023 season with a 23-3 overall record and 11-0 in district record.

“We have a young talented team that has grown already from the start of the year,” head coach Tate Lombard said. “We only have 3 returning varsity players from last year, so I’m excited to see this team’s growth.”

Lombard said that he hopes the team will continue to come together and reach their potential.

“We’re getting better each day,” Lombard said. “We have beaten some really good teams already this year and are working to beat the best teams on our schedule.”

Lombard said they lack experience but the team has shown that it has the skill level to be a great team.

“We are trying to build consistency with our team each day,” Lombard said. “That is what makes a really good team for district and the playoffs.”

Sophomore Kambrie Graser said everyone has a role on the team and everyone can make something happen.

“This season I am focusing on building my character and I am learning from any mistakes that I make,” Graser said

Graser said they work hard during practice and the team will show that on the court.

“I think the team has done well this season,” Graser said. “But we can always do so much better at every practice and every game.”

Graser said she has stepped up a lot and plays a big role in this year’s team.

“Our hopes for this season are to continue to grow together as a team,” Graser said, “We hope to get as far as we can playoff wise.”

Follow the Eagles and Lady Eagles basketball season on social media and score updates on The Eagle’s Tale.