Alice Lloyd Eagles unleash longball, defeat Indiana University Southeast Grenadiers, 98-85

Pippa Passes, KY:  On Tuesday, January 23rd, the Alice Lloyd Eagles played host to the formidable Indiana University Southeast Grenadiers in RSC play. The hometown club rode their impressive long-range shooting to earn the big 98-85 win.

In the opening stanza, the Kentucky boys jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in the first 1:34, only to see IUS go on a 16-6 burst to take a 16-11 advantage with 13:25 showing.

From there, ALC put on a solid display. Over an eight-minute stretch, fueled by a combined 17 points from sophomore guard Koji Anderson and freshman guard Landon Napier, the hosts retaliated. When freshman forward Jackson Tackett connected on a nice post move with 5:45 remaining, it capped off an impressive 24- 9 blitzkrieg. Suddenly, the Caney Creek crew held a 35-25 advantage.

Unfortunately, sparked by the offensive production of forward JJ Reed, the Indiana squad would close the stanza with a 22-9 blitz of their own. This would enable the guests to go into intermission with a 47-44 lead.

The second half started with Southeast draining three trifectas in just under three minutes. This lifted them to a 61-53 edge with 16:10 showing on the clock. At this critical juncture of the game, the Eagles turned to Jared Strickland to change the tide, and change it he did.

In a span of just 2:30, the senior guard promptly scored 10 consecutive points. His tough contested bucket at 13:41 promptly knotted the contest at 63-63, and brought the crowd to their feet.

Then after another important stop on defense, ALC's Napier found sophomore guard Jack Brown on a nice pass. Brown's acrobatic layup at 11:31 would give the Bluegrass boys the lead once again (65-63). From that point, the Pippa Passes posse refused to be denied.

The home squad then exhibited a fine display of teamwork as six different Eagles would score over the next 8:00. A long bomb from junior guard Jacob Curry with 3:34 glaring on the clock gave his squad a twelve-point cushion (92-80). From there, the hometown men would cruise until the final horn sounded.

For Alice Lloyd (11-9, 3-7 RSC), they would place four men in double figures. They were led on the night by Strickland, who despite missing most of the first half in foul trouble, poured in 23 points, 20 in the decisive second half. He bagged 8-13 field goals, 5-8 bombs, and a pair of free throws. For good measure, he completed the double-double with 10 rebounds and added 4 assists and 3 blocks.

He was followed closely by Tackett, who drained 7-9 field goals, including 3-3 from long range, to finish with 20 points. He added 5 rebounds and 2 steals.

Anderson was solid all night as he finished with 16 points (5-9 FG; 3-5 3FG, 2-2 ft), while also tying for the assist lead with 4, and snagging 4 boards. Napier provided 14 points, on 6-10 shooting. 

In addition, junior Jacob Curry swished three trifectas for 9 points and added 4 rebounds and 3 assists, Brown chipped in with 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, and sophomore Wilgus Tolson nabbed 2 steals.

On the night, the victors shot 53% (35-66) from the field, including 61.3% in the decisive second half. Additionally, they sank an incredible 56.7% (17-30) from beyond the arc (which is a season-high for makes), and 57.9% (11-19) from the charity stripe. They grabbed 40 rebounds, handed off 22 assists, stole 8 balls and blocked 3 shots.

The Grenadiers (8-10; 4-6 RSC) were led by Reed with 27 points. His squad shot 43.8% (32-73) from the field, 34.5% (10-29) from beyond the arc and 61.1% (11-18) from the charity stripe. They snared 41 rebounds, handed off 17 assists and stole 5 balls.

The Eagles are off until Friday, January 27^th when they return home to face the Midway University Eagles in an RSC doubleheader. The important matchup tips off at 3:00 pm.