Pippa Passes, KY: The Alice Lloyd College Eagles began River States Conference Tournament play on Monday, February 22nd when they played host to the Brescia University Bearcats. The hosts overcame a shaky start by using their typical balanced attack to blitz the Bearcats, 87-64.
Alice Lloyd swept BU this year, but everyone knows how hard it is to beat a good ballclub three times in a season. In the opening half, ALC saw the visitors score the first ten points of the night, and lead 16-7 eight minutes in. Things looked like they would be different this time around.
Fortunately, from that point, the Eagles played solid ball. They saw junior guard Chandler Stewart and junior forward Will Philpot propel their club on a 36-15 blitz to finish the half, and the hosts led 43-31after twenty minutes of play.
As the second half began, ALC got major contributions from senior guard Noah Young, junior guard Bryce Slone, and sophomore forward Noah Caudill to dominate the action.
The Pippa Passes club opened things on an 18-6 run to eliminate any chance of a Bearcat comeback. The men in white then cruised from there to the dominant victory.
For Alice Lloyd (16-5), five players reached double-digits, Slone sank 5-7 field goals (4-6 three-pointers) to lead everyone with 14 points. Philpot drained 12 points and snared 9 rebounds. Stewart and Young both had 11 while Caudill chipped in with 10.
Young dished off a game-high 7 assists, while Stewart had 2 steals. Big junior center Colyn Sturgill added 2 blocks.
The Caney Club finished shooting 49.3% (33-67) from the field and 38.9% (7-18) from the long-range. They connected on 58.3% (14-24) from the charity line. Additionally, they registered 49 rebounds, 13 assists, and 5 steals.
BU (3-12) was paced by Obray Rufus with 13 points. His squad finished shooting 38.8% (26-67) from the field and 29.9% (4-19) from behind the arc. They finished at 57.1% (8-14) from the foul line. Additionally, they registered 34 rebounds, 6 assists, and 7 steals.
Alice Lloyd now advances to quarter-final action on Wednesday, February 24th, when they travel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to face the Carlow University Celtics. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 pm.