Pippa Passes, KY: For the fourth consecutive game, the Alice Lloyd College Eagles battled a River States Conference opponent to the buzzer. Happily, for the second straight contest, a late shot lifted the home-standing Eagles to a thrilling victory. On this night, it was an 84-83 win over the Ohio Christian University Trailblazers.
In the opening half, the Eagles saw sophomore forward Damon Tobler score 9 points in the first seven minutes. His hot hand helped the hosts jump ahead 17-13.
After the clubs battled to a tie over the next ten minutes, the home club would get a much-needed 9 point spark off the bench from sophomore forward Cumecus Cates, which propelled them to a 41-35 advantage by intermission.
In the second half, ALC would lead 58-49 with 14:44 to play, only to watch the Trailblazers rip off a 10-0 run over a three-minute stretch to take the lead, 59-58.
The never-say-die Eagles would then keep things tight down the stretch before going on a nice run to lead 82-76 with just two minutes remaining.
Unfortunately, once again, the Caney Creek crowd would see a visiting team answer with a run of their own. Ohio Christian would roll out a 7-0 burst, capped off by a trifecta from guard Titus Burns, Now, the Trailblazers led 83-82 with .50 left to play.
Fortunately, one thing Coach Scott Cornett’s team has shown all year is they like storybook endings. The Eagles promptly ran the clock down to .09, before junior guard Chandler Stewart scored on a running drive in the paint with just .09 left in regulation.
On their ensuing trip, Ohio Christian drove and launched a contested shot in the paint that came up short. In the scramble for the loose ball, the possession arrow was with the Buckeye boys, giving them one final chance at .01.
OCU would look to run a play, but the inbounds pass was deflected, which allowed the clock to run out.
For the victorious Eagles (9-3), four players reached double figures. They were led on the night by Tobler with a game-high 21 points. He connected on 9-11 field goals and grabbed 6 rebounds. Cates and Stewart each had 12 points while junior guard Bryce Slone swished three long bombs to finish with 11 points. Senior guard Noah Young produced 7 assists, while junior forward Will Philpot came through with 8 points (4-6 field goals), 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Junior center Colyn Sturgill contributed 3 big blocks, while sophomore guard Jared Strickland had 2 steals.
ALC shot 56.5% (35-62) from the field and 41.2% (7-17) from long range. They sank 58.3% (7-12) from the foul line. They added 31 rebounds, 18 assists, and 5 steals.
For the Trailblazers (2-7), Burns would lead the way with 19 points, all coming in the second half. His club finished shooting 49.1% (28-57) from the floor and 50% (11-22) from behind the arc. They hit 72.7% (16-22) from the foul line. They also added 31 rebounds, 12 assists, and 7 steals.
ALC returns to action this week on Saturday the 23rd when they play at Oakland City (IN) University. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 pm (CST)
