Lady Eagle Basketball falls to Life Prep in Tip-Off Opener
December 11, 2025
The Colby Lady Eagles opened play at the Topside Tip-off on December 11 in Goodland with a difficult first-round matchup, running into a sharp-shooting Life Prep team that capitalized early and built separation that proved too much to overcome. Colby battled throughout the night but ultimately fell 67–23 in a game that tested the Eagles’ defensive discipline and offensive execution against a deep, athletic opponent.
Life Prep set the tone almost immediately, jumping out to a 5–0 lead and forcing Colby to work through a packed zone defense that pressured passing lanes and contested nearly every touch. The Lady Eagles struggled to generate clean looks early, while Life Prep found rhythm from the perimeter. A trio of early three-pointers helped push the margin to double digits before the end of the first quarter, with Life Prep leading 20–4 after eight minutes.
Colby’s first-quarter points came from Shaylee Holzmeister, who attacked the lane to break the scoring drought, but Life Prep continued to control the glass and convert second-chance opportunities. Defensive rebounding became a major factor as the Eagles found themselves defending multiple possessions, allowing Life Prep to extend leads even when initial shots missed.
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The second quarter followed a similar pattern. Colby moved the ball with more purpose at times and found moments of success attacking gaps in the zone, but turnovers and limited rebounding opportunities kept the Eagles from stringing together sustained runs. Life Prep’s perimeter shooting continued to be the difference, as they knocked down multiple three-pointers to stretch the lead to 39–7 by halftime.
Head coach Yancey Walker said the matchup highlighted areas the Eagles will continue to address as the season progresses. “We played a very talented team. I felt that we competed, but we still needed to be better in our defensive rotations and in our defensive rebounding,” Walker said. “We contested most of their shots, we just struggled in attacking the back on offense.”
Colby showed improved offensive flow coming out of the locker room in the third quarter. The Eagles attacked with more confidence, getting baskets from Maddie McCarty, Kalyssa White, and Sadie Cheney, while McCarty connected on Colby’s first three-pointer of the night. The effort helped Colby post its highest scoring quarter, trimming some of the deficit and showing flashes of the offensive balance Walker is working to develop.
Life Prep responded quickly, however, answering baskets with more perimeter shooting and interior finishes to maintain control. Despite the score, Colby continued to compete defensively and rotate players into the lineup, gaining valuable experience against a fast, physical team.
The fourth quarter saw Colby turn to younger players and reserves, focusing on execution and defensive effort while Life Prep ran clock and closed out the contest. While the final margin favored Life Prep, the game provided important early-season lessons for the Lady Eagles.
Looking ahead, Colby will have little time to dwell on the loss as they prepare for a familiar opponent. “We play Ulysses again for the second time in a week,” Walker said. “They had spurts where they played well against Wray so we’ll need to be better this week than we were last week.”
The Lady Eagles will look to build on the positives from the second half, sharpen defensive rotations, and improve rebounding as they continue tournament play and move deeper into the early portion of the season.