Red Devils Drop Road Game at Lyon

BATESVILLE, Ark. – The Eureka men's basketball team ran into a hot-shooting Lyon squad Thursday night, falling 87-43 on the road as the Scots separated themselves with decisive runs in each half. Transition play and perimeter shooting proved pivotal, with Lyon capitalizing for a 27-2 edge in points off turnovers and knocking down 10 three-pointers after failing to connect from deep in the teams' Jan. 10 overtime matchup.

Lyon wasted little time setting the tone, jumping out to a 12-4 lead before the first media timeout. Max Richardson (LaHarpe, Ill./Illini West) stopped the early momentum with a jumper out of the break to make it 12-6, but the Scots continued to convert in the paint.

Jaxson Provost (Kankakee, Ill./Bishop McNamara) and Damuzha Moore (Champaign, Ill./Urbana) each converted on layups to keep Eureka within striking distance, yet Lyon's second-chance opportunities helped stretch the margin to 22-10. Jonah Lauff (Pana, Ill./Pana) knocked down a three-pointer with just under eight minutes remaining in the half to bring the deficit back to single digits and provide a spark off the bench for the Red Devils.

Jacob Gonzalez (Los Angeles, Calif./Chatsworth Charter) delivered a boost off the bench late in the period, scoring five straight points for the Red Devils, but Eureka still trailed 31-18. Lyon closed the half on another strong push, taking a 42-24 advantage into the locker room.

Richardson opened the second half with a three-pointer to cut the lead to 42-27, but the Scots quickly responded with a decisive 15-0 run that pushed the score to 57-27. Micah Bruer (Washington, Ill./Washington Community) ended the drought with a layup, and Richardson followed with another three to make it 58-32.

Lyon continued to string together runs, using a 7-0 stretch to extend the lead to 65-32. Provost broke that run with a layup before Blake Logsdon (Meridian, Idaho/Mountain View) connected from long range to pull Eureka within 65-37. The Scots answered again, this time with a 13-0 surge to extend its lead to 78-37 on the way to the 87-43 final.

Richardson paced the Red Devils with eight points. Bruer and Gonzalez each added six, while Andrew Coker (Washington, Ill./Washington Community) finished with six points and five rebounds. Ben Carter (Morton, Ill./Morton) led Eureka on the boards with six rebounds.

UP NEXT

Eureka closes its road trip Saturday at MUW. The Owls claimed a 99-67 win in the earlier meeting, but the Red Devils will look to respond as they battle to stay in the hunt for the final SLIAC Tournament spot after Blackburn's win over MUW gave the Beavers an edge in the race.