Circleville, OH: Balance was the word of the day as five players reached double-figures, sparked by a double-double from junior forward Will Philpot, to propel the visiting Alice Lloyd Eagles to an 85-71 victory over the Ohio Christian University Trailblazers. The River States Conference matchup was played Saturday, January 29th. With the victory, the Eagles reach the 20-win plateau for the first time since 1996.
In the first 2:30 of the opening half, OCU would drain a triple to take a 5-4 lead. However, this would prove to be their lone advantage of the day. Sparked by a combined 14 points from Philpot and sophomore forward Damon Tobler, ALC would soon race ahead 16-7.
Over the course of the half, the Eagles would maintain their advantage, thanks to stingy defense. When senior point guard Noah Young connected on a bucket late in the half, the Caney Creek crew would hold a 36-26 advantage at intermission.
In the second stanza, the visiting Eagles saw junior guard Bryce Slone heat up from the outside while senior center Idris Akinyemi came off the bench to provide a big effort on the inside. The visitors would soon lead by over 20 points and remain in complete control throughout, as every player in royal blue would aid in earning the convincing victory.
For ALC (20-1;11-0 RSC), they were led on the night by Philpot, with 16 points (7-10FG). He added 11 rebounds to complete the double-double. Young and Slone were right behind with 14 points apiece as Young sank 5-9 attempts while Slone swished 4 -8 long bombs. Young led everyone with 9 assists as he controlled the flow of the game.
Tobler drilled half of his 12 shots for 13 points while Akinyemi came through with 11 points, 6 assists, and 2 big blocks.
Alice Lloyd connected on 53.2% (33-62) from the field, and 40% (4-10) from long range. From the charity line, they sank 78.9% (15-19). Additionally, they registered 39 rebounds, 4 steals, and 17 assists.
Ohio Christian (5-15; 3-8 RSC) was led by Ben Casey with 18 points. His club connected on 41% (25-61) from the field and 34.8% (8-23) from long range. From the foul line, they shot 81.3% (13-16). They also had 21 rebounds, 8 steals, and 14 assists.
The Eagles return to action in two huge conference home games next week. On Tuesday, February 1st, the Indiana University Southeast Grenadiers come to Pippa Passes for a 7:30 showdown, Then, on Saturday, February 5th, 21-3 Indiana University Kokomo comes down for a major 1:00 pm matchup.