Eureka Fights Back, But Principia Runs Away Late

ELSAH, Ill. – The Eureka men's basketball team rallied to take the lead midway through the second half Tuesday night, but Principia's late surge was too much for the Red Devils, who fell 73-55.

Eureka jumped out to an early lead as Max Richardson (LaHarpe, Ill./Illini West) scored three early points from the free throw line and Micah Bruer (Washington, Ill./Washington Community) knocked down a triple to give the Red Devils a 6-3 advantage. Principia responded to take an 8-6 lead before Ben Carter (Morton, Ill./Morton) finished a tip-in layup to tie the game at 8-8.

Principia then put together an 8-0 scoring run to take a 16-8 lead heading into the under-12 media timeout. Jacob Gonzalez (Los Angeles, Calif./Chatsworth Charter) snapped the drought at the free throw line, but Principia extended its run to 15-1 to push the margin to 23-9. Jaxson Provost (Kankakee, Ill./Bishop McNamara) ended the run with a layup, and a pair of Carter free throws trimmed the deficit to 10 at 23-13.

Jonah Lauff (Pana, Ill./Pana) sparked a response with a three-pointer to cap a 7-0 Eureka run and cut the lead to 23-16 with just over four minutes remaining in the half. Carter added a late layup to bring Eureka within five, but a Principia three-pointer sent the hosts into halftime with a 28-20 advantage. Eureka struggled to find any offensive rhythm in the opening half, scoring 20 points on six made field goals.

The Red Devils came out strong after the break, opening the half on a 6-0 run behind two Andrew Coker (Washington, Ill./Washington Community) layups and another from Richardson to cut the deficit to 28-26. After Principia briefly pushed the lead to 31-26, Bruer caught fire from beyond the arc, drilling three triples to give Eureka its first lead since the opening minutes at 35-34.

Principia answered with a three of its own before Provost tied the game at 37-37 with a layup. Coker followed with another bucket to put Eureka back in front, and Provost added two free throws to give the Red Devils their largest lead of the night at 41-37 with just over 13 minutes remaining.

The momentum quickly shifted, however, as Principia responded with an 11-0 run to take a 48-41 lead. Damuzha Moore (Champaign, Ill./Urbana) stopped the run with a three-pointer, and Dylan Logsdon (Meridian, Idaho/Mountain View) converted a pair of free throws to bring Eureka within two at 48-46. Principia answered emphatically with a decisive 20-0 scoring run to pull away, eventually securing the 73-55 victory.

Bruer led Eureka with 15 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Richardson added seven points and six rebounds, while Provost finished with nine points and three assists. Coker chipped in six points and a team-high nine rebounds.

UP NEXT

Eureka returns home to face Spalding for the second time in six days. The Red Devils earned a 53-34 road win over the Golden Eagles on Saturday and will look to complete the season sweep on Thursday in Eureka.