GALWAY–On Friday night, the stage was set for what could have been the final game played on the home floor for the seniors. Cody Marshall and Jamie Freebern had participated in senior games in the past two years and there’s nothing like trying to win one for the graduating class. Meanwhile, Shane Marshall and Nick Manna had only one senior game experience prior to their senior game last week. Facing Canajoharie, who came in sitting in 2nd place in the WAC North heading into the game, Galway was sure that they were in for a tough game. Canajoharie was coming in on a 2-game losing streak, but thrashed the Golden Eagles 58-28 in Canajoharie back in December. Led by Ryan Hodge, the Cougars were heavily favored coming in, but Galway’s play really opened eyes.

In the first quarter, the Golden Eagles deployed their box and one defense for the first time all year. Shane Marshall played spectacular defense on Ryan Hodge and the Golden Eagles took advantage of poor execution by the Cougars. At the end of one frame, the Golden Eagles led 14-10. The second quarter was close, but Canajoharie managed to claw closer to the lead, trailing 26-25 at the half. In the second half, the Golden Eagles switched to a zone defense rather than the box and one and Ryan Hodge took advantage of it. Four threes were made by the senior from Canjo, who would finish the game with 15 points, one more than his total from the previous two games combined (both losses). Canajoharie played tougher defense and the Golden Eagles offense just couldn’t quite mimic its success in the first half. The Cougars managed to outscore the Golden Eagles 31-16 in the second half to win 56-42.

Cody Marshall led the Golden Eagles with 13 points, including going 100% (5-for-5) from the foul line for the first time since the Golden Eagles win against Mayfield. Nick Manna added 11 points with the help of his 3 three pointers. Evan Ceroalo and Shane Marshall each added 7 points, which was a season high for Shane as well. Jamie Freebern finished the scoring with 4 points on the night. The 25 points combined by Manna, Ceroalo, and Shane Marshall was the highest they’ve combined for all season and the most since the trio combined for 22 in the first game of the season against Loudonville Christian.

The Golden Eagles are back on the floor on Friday in their final WAC North game against the Northville Falcons. With a win, the Golden Eagles will finish 6th in the league, while a loss will result in a last place WAC North finish for Galway. Game time is set for 6pm.