Pippa Passes, KY: The Alice Lloyd College Eagles dominated the second half, and rode that effort all the way to a huge victory over the highly regarded Indiana University Southeast-Grenadier’s, 75-55. The River States Conference matchup took place on February 9th.
In the first twenty minutes, the Eagles had a battle on their hands as IUS star forward David Burton drained two early threes. However, ALC responded with a powerful inside game and used that advantage to ease out to a 36-33 advantage by intermission.
In the second half, ALC would play their finest ball of the year. On offense, junior center Colyn Sturgill and sophomore forward Damon Tobler would control the paint. On the perimeter, senior guard Noah Young would control the tempo and sink big shots.
On the defensive end, Tobler would slow down Burton, junior forward Will Philpot would control the boards, and the rest of the club would play an inspired man-to-man. The effects of this combination would prove devastating as the usually hot-shooting Indiana club would have trouble scoring. The gritty play permitted the Pippa Passes crew to dominate the stanza 39-22, and the incredible team effort would allow the Eagles to take control and pull away relatively easily for the Caney Creek contingent.
For the victorious Eagles (14-4), three players reached double figures. They were led on the night by Young, who tossed in 7-12 field goals to finish with a game-high 16 points. He also handed off 4 assists and grabbed 4 boards. Sturgill and Tobler were right behind as both knocked in 12 points, on a combined 12-18 field goals. The duo also combined for 11 boards. Junior guard Bryce Slone and sophomore guard Jared Strickland chipped in with 8 points apiece. Philpot grabbed 12 rebounds.
ALC shot 48.6% (34-70) from the field and 26.3% (5-19) from long range. They sank just 40% (2-5) from the foul line. They completely controlled the glass, hauling down 44 rebounds, and added 15 assists, and 3 steals.
For the Grenadiers (4-5) Burton, Anthony Wales Jr., and Trey Hourigan all tossed in 10 points. Their club finished shooting 36.5% (23-63) from the floor and 30% (6-20) from behind the arc. They hit 60% (3-5) from the foul line. They also snagged 32 rebounds and added 6 assists, and 3 steals.
ALC returns this week for two more RSC showdowns. On Thursday, Feb 11th, they host the powerful West Virginia Tech Golden Bears at 5:00 pm. Then, on Saturday the 13th, they travel to play the Midway University Eagles in a men’s/women’s doubleheader. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 pm.