Both the girls and boys basketball teams of Joseph traveled the Oregon Trail to the west side of the state to take on two Christian schools, Country Christian and Horizon Christian Dec. 29 and 30, respectively.

The lady Eagles lost to top-ranked Country Christian, 45-35, in a hard-fought battle. Coach Lance Homan called it a great game. The Eagles led at halftime and at the end of the third quarter before the size of their opponents wore them down in the final quarter.

“Our kids played hard and left it all out on the court. Our legs aren’t where they need to be yet, but we will get there,” Homan said. Sabrina Albee led the scoring with 15 points.

The girls made short work of Horizon Christian with a 64-34 victory on the following day.

“This was a good win after a really tough game the night before, and we were able to get everyone quality time,” Homan said. He added that the defense is shaping up and the girls play with a lot of heart.

Alexis Sykora and Albee both finished with 27 points.

The weekend left the girls with a 1-1 league record and 7-2 overall. They are ranked seventh in the state.

The boys also defeated Country Christian, 58-39. Coach Olan Fulfer said the bench saw lots of playing time. Chase Murray led the charge with 13 through the net while Jean Luc Palma and Tyler Homan each scored 10 and post Caevan Murray had nine.

Horizon Christian, the seventh-ranked team in the state, defeated the Eagles, 53-39. Fulfer said the game was much closer than it appeared with the Eagles down only by three near the end when their opponents sank two quick three-pointers. This forced the Eagles to start fouling and Horizon Christian converted well.

“They had a lot of height and speed and could really shoot,” Fulfer said.

The two Murrays each scored nine points while Palma adding seven and Homan and Tray Wandschneider each scoring six.

The weekend left the boys with a league record and 5-3 overall. The eagles have a 24 state ranking.