Saint Mary of the Woods, IN: An impressive display of teamwork propelled the visiting Alice Lloyd College Eagles to a huge 89-49 River States Conference victory over the home-standing Saint Mary of the Woods Pomeroy’s. The battle was held Saturday, February 19th.
In the first half, the visitors would take a quick 16-4 lead in the opening five minutes behind 6 points apiece from junior guard Bryce Slone and sophomore forward Ben Soumahoro. Over the remainder of the stanza, senior guard Noah Young and sophomore forward Damon Tobler helped the Eagles keep a steady pace on offense while the entire squad played lock-down defense. This would enable Alice Lloyd to take a 45-28 advantage at intermission.
In the second half, the Caney Club would explode out the gate with a 12-2 burst. The run was bookended by bombs from Slone. Suddenly, the ALC advantage stood at 27 (57-30) with 16:19 showing on the clock.
Due to the consistent play from every man on the squad, the contest was never in doubt as the Pippa Passes club maintained their cushion the remainder of the game to end the regular season on a high note.
For ALC (24-4; 15-3 RSC), four players reached double figures. They were led on the night by Slone with 18 points (6-10 3FG) and Soumahoro with 17 points (6-9 FG). Both players added 3 steals, and Soumahoro nabbed 7 rebounds.
Young played impressively as well, finishing with 14 points (6-8 FG) and 13 big assists, while Tobler also contributed 14 points (6-11 FG) and 2 steals.
The bench performed impressively also, as senior center Idris Akinyemi grabbed 10 rebounds and scored 8 points. Additionally, sophomore guards Cameron Worrix and Tyler May both led the way with 4 steals.
Alice Lloyd connected on 50.7% (35-69) from the field, and 52.9% (9-17) from long range. They sank 76.9% (10-13) from the charity stripe. Additionally, they registered 41 rebounds, 23 steals, and 29 assists.
SMWC (3-25; 0-17 RSC) was led by Elkin Ramirez with 18 points. His squad connected on 35.6% (21-59) from the field and 23.8% (5-21) from the long range. From the foul line, they shot 66.7% (2-3). They also had 31 rebounds, 5 steals, and 15 assists.
The Eagles now enter post-season play in the River States Conference Tournament. They are the #2 seed in the division and will host the Rio Grande University Red Storm on Wednesday, February 23rd. Tipoff is set for 6:00 pm.