Total team effort propels Alice Lloyd Eagles to impressive 77-62 victory at Rio Grande University

Rio Grande, OH: The Alice Lloyd Eagles journeyed to the Buckeye state on Tuesday, December 12^th to face one of the top teams in the River States Conference, the Rio Grande Red Storm. In their most impressive outing of the year, the Eagles used a stifling defense and solid second half shooting to prevail, 77-62.

In the first half, the Caney Creek crew used the scoring of seniors Jared Strickland and Ben Soumahoro to race out to a quick 7-3 lead in three minutes.  

Over the next seven minutes, Rio would outscore the visitors 15-10 to take a 18-17 advantage at the midway point.

 Eagle senior guard Brady Nelson would swish two charity tosses to knot the score at 27-27 with 6:58 on the clock, but the Red Storm would ride the shooting of leading scorer Trey Robinson to go on a run. When the Ohio boys delivered a dunk with 2:14 remaining in the half, the advantage was eight (37-29), forcing a timeout from the Kentucky squad.

Out of the timeout, Alice Lloyd responded with a big trifecta from sophomore guard Jack Brown at 1:06. Then, after a defensive stop, Soumahoro completed a jumper in the paint. The Eagles would only trail 37-34 at intermission, and now have momentum on their side.

In the second half, the Eagles hung around and finally took a lead (41-39) following a Strickland layup at 16:15. Later, with the scoreboard showing Rio ahead 47-45 and 12:53 remaining in the contest, the Pippa Passes posse unloaded.

In just under five minutes, ALC clamped down on defense and unleashed an offensive spurt, fueled by 10 combined points from Soumahoro and Strickland, to pull ahead 58-49 at 8:04.

Then, after an old-fashioned three-point play from Rio's Robinson got his squad within six (58-52) with 6:41 showing, the Bluegrass boys delivered the knockout blow.

In just 2:30, Alice Lloyd would see Strickland and freshman guard Landon Napier produce all 11 points in a 11-2 game-clinching run. When the smoke cleared at the 4:19 mark, the scoreboard read 69-54, as the visitors had culminated a 24-5 blitzkrieg. From there, ALC would cruise to the crucial road conference win.

For the victorious Eagles (6-4; 1-3 RSC), Soumahoro and Strickland were both clutch, finishing the contest tied with a game-high 22 points. Soumahoro would sink 9-16 shots while Strickland drilled 8-13, including dialing 4-6 from beyond the arc. The duo would also deliver 6 rebounds apiece, while Soumahoro would further impress with 5 steals and 3 assists.

Nelson and Napier would come up big off the bench as the duo added 8 and 7 points respectively. Each connected on big shots that fueled their clubs twin runs. Nelson would also tie for the lead in assists with 3 of his own. In addition, Brown led everyone with 3 steals while freshman forward Jackson Tackett swatted 2 shots.

From the floor, the victors shot 48.3% (28-58), including a solid 58.3% the second half.  They also were 39.1% (9-23) from beyond the arc, and 75% (12-16) from the charity stripe. They snared 31 rebounds, handed off 12 assists, had 11 steals and blocked 4 shots.

Rio (7-4; 2-2 RSC) was led by Robinson with 21 points. His squad shot 38.7% (24-62) from the field, 14.8% (4-27) beyond the arc, and 90.9% (10-11) from the charity stripe. They grabbed 41 rebounds, handed off 7 assists, and stole 4 balls.

The Eagles return to the hardwood this weekend for two contests when they travel to Harrodsburg to take participate in the Campbellsville-Harrodsburg University Classic. On Friday, December 15^th, ALC will face Crowley's Ridge, Arkansas at 5:00pm. The next day, they will play the host UC Harrodsburg Pioneers at 7:00pm.