Red Devils Bow Out in SLIAC Tournament Semifinal with Loss to Greenville

GREENVILLE, Ill. – The Eureka men's basketball team's SLIAC Tournament run came to an end on Friday in the semifinals, as they fell to Greenville 134-117. The loss marked the final game of the season for the Red Devils, who battled hard throughout the high-scoring contest but were unable to secure a victory.

Greenville struck first with a layup by Isaiah Griffin, but Eureka quickly answered as Peewee Brown (Peoria, Ill./Manual) opened the scoring for the Red Devils with a 3-pointer at the 19:31 mark. The first half saw multiple lead changes, with Eureka battling back from an early 10-point deficit behind a 9-0 run. The Red Devils tied the game with 1:30 remaining in the half, but Greenville responded with an 8-0 run to take a 59-51 lead into the break. Jaxson Provost (Kankakee, Ill./Bishop McNamara) and Brown kept Eureka competitive, while Vincent Rodriguez capped the half for the Panthers with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

Greenville maintained control in the second half, steadily extending their lead. The Panthers pushed ahead by as many as 21 points, but Eureka fought back, cutting the deficit to eight with just over four minutes to play. Unfortunately, after a missed layup by the Red Devils, Greenville responded with a three-pointer on the other end, extending their lead back to double digits and stealing the momentum away from Eureka. Despite the late surge from Eureka, including key 3-pointers from Micah Bruer (Washington, Ill./Washington) and Jaxson Provost, Greenville held firm to secure their spot in the SLIAC Championship game on Saturday night.

GAME NOTES

• Peewee Brown led the Red Devils with a season-high 45 points, shooting 17-of-25 from the field and 10-of-13 from the free-throw line.
• Jaxson Provost posted a career-high 23 points on 8 made baskets and led the team with 9 assists.
• Emaryon Byrd (Peoria, Ill./Manual) notched his 14th double-double of the season with 17 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
• Micah Bruer was efficient from deep, hitting 4-of-5 3-point attempts and finishing with 12 points.
• Dylan Logsdon (Meridian, Idaho/Mountain View) went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, contributing 9 points.

UP NEXT

Eureka finishes the season with a 10-17 overall record and 8-10 in conference play. The game marked the final appearance for seniors Peewee Brown, Koen Woods (Gridley, Ill./El Paso-Gridley), Raymond Bandzoumouna (Lisle, Ill./Lisle), Jalen Johnson (Rock Falls, Ill./Rock Falls), and Sam DeJesus (Delavan, Ill./Delavan) in a Red Devils uniform. Brown, a three-time SLIAC All-Conference selection, ends his career with 1,204 points and ranks third in program history with 351 made free throws.