Ryan House
Grayson, KY: The Alice Lloyd Eagles unleashed a balanced scoring attack as they placed five players in double-figures to secure an 89-78 victory over the home-standing Kentucky Christian University Knights. The non-conference matchup took place on Tuesday, January 22nd.
In the opening half, the game was tight early as neither team led by more than five points.
ALC would eventually pull out to a nine-point advantage (33-24) at 8:18 following a jumper from junior guard Blake Smith. His club would nurse a slight cushion (42-38) at intermission.
In the second half, the visitors would maintain their advantage and see it reach double-figures (62-52) following a long bomb courtesy of senior guard Ryan House.
Although the hosts would continue to trail, they would eventually fight back sparked by the play of Juran Ligonde. Finally, when his teammate Conner Maddox sank a free throw with 7::44 left to play, the home squad led 65-64.
Fortunately, at money time, Coach JR Hammond’s squad responded. Over the next five minutes, they reeled off a crucial 18-7 blitz. When sophomore guard Noah Young bagged a running jumper with 2:13 remaining, the lead was back to ten (82-72). The victors then closed out the contest from the charity stripe.
For ALC (9-12), House led the way with 22 points, including 6-10 from deep. He also chipped in with 2 steals and 6 rebounds. He was followed closely by the athletic Smith with 19 points. He also led the squad with 9 rebounds.
Young connected on 8-10 from the floor to finish with 16 points. He aided the cause with 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Senior forward Simon Christon and junior forward Chance Cornett each chipped in with 15 points apiece while combining for 10 boards.
Alice Lloyd connected on 45.8% (33-72) from the field and 36.7% (11-30) from long range. From the charity line, they sank 63.2% (12-19). Additionally, they registered 38 rebounds, 14 assists, and 4 steals.
Kentucky Christian (4-21) was led by Ligonde with 23 points. His club connected on 48.1% (28-61) from the field and 24% (6-25) from long range. They shot well from the foul line, sinking 84.2% (16-19). They also had 34 rebounds, 15 assists, and 2 steals.
The Eagles return to action this weekend in an important River States Conference road trip.
Things kick off on Friday when they travel to Pittsburgh (PA) to face the Carlow Celtics at 8:00 pm. They remain in the big city for a showdown against Point Park University on Saturday at 3:00 pm