Alice Lloyd Eagles basketball advances to NCCAA Mideast Region finals, earn 107-103 OT victory over Lancaster Bible

Pippa Passes, KY: Junior guard Koji Anderson and sophomore forward Jackson Tackett combined to produce 54 huge points, and several other Eagles made clutch plays when needed, to lead the #2 seeded Alice Lloyd Eagles to a stunning 107-103 come-from-behind overtime victory over an impressive NCAA DIII Lancaster Bible Chargers squad. The contest was played March 6th on "Coach J" Court, at the Perry Center before a large crowd.

In the opening half, the two squads, who were meeting for the first time, battled with full power, knowing the importance of the game. Lancaster relied on an aggressive defense combined with the inside-out play of Nile Austin and Luke Rumbaugh, while ALC countered with their dynamic-duo of Tackett and Anderson to hang close. However, nursing a 40-37 advantage with just under 4:00 remaining, Austin fueled a huge LBC 12-3 blitz by himself to propel his squad to a 52-37 advantage with just 1:08 showing. ALC would get a much-needed trifecta just ahead of the buzzer from sophomore guard Landon Napier, but the visitors still led 52-40 heading into the dressing room for intermission. 

 In the second half, the Pennsylvania club kept up their aggressive play as they maintained the heat on the Bluegrass boys. To make matters worse for the hosts, leading scorer senior forward Ben Soumahoro was forced to leave the fray early in the segment due to foul difficulties.

Any time the Eagles would get the deficit down to around eight points, it seemed that LBC would always answer with a couple of buckets to pull away once more. This went on for the majority of the half as Lancaster remained in control. Still trailing by 11 points with 3:40 remaining, and down 89-81 with just 1:33 on the clock after an LBC dunk, Alice Lloyd seemed doomed. However, once more, they responded.

At 1:13, senior forward Devaunte Robinson scored on a power move to the goal (89-83). Then, after forcing a Charger turnover, sharpshooting guard Jacob Curry swished a deep bomb to make it 89-86 at 1:04. On the next Lancaster possession, ALC guard Desmier Hatchett stole the ball and called timeout with .55 remaining in regulation.

Out of the timeout, Anderson drove to the paint and found Curry spotted up for a three. His shot was nothing but net, tying the contest at 89-89 with 55 seconds on the scoreboard. The hosts had scored 8 points in just 38 seconds

At .34, Lancaster would turn the ball over once more, handing the rock back to the hometown club. Alice Lloyd would get the ball to Soumahoro, but he lost his footing at :17 and fumbled the ball.

Looking for a good shot but unable to run the clock out, Lancaster turned to their leading scorer, Grant Sareyka, and the senior delivered with a driving bucket, fouling Soumahoro out of the game in the process, and putting his crew on top, 91-89. However, the club's top shooter would misfire on the free toss, and ALC would bring the ball down court with :13 ticks showing. They would need 2 to tie and 3 to win.

On the final play, with the crowd standing on their feet in anticipation, they would turn to Anderson, who, when the defense thought he would pass to Curry, exploded past his man and fired an arching runner in the paint over a second defender. The crowd erupted when the shot tickled the twine with only :00.3 remaining, making the score 91-91. Lancaster only had time for a tip play, but they could not execute one of those as time expired, sending the contest into overtime.

In OT, Anderson refused to be stopped as he made big-play after big-play. Each time the Chargers scored, he would produce a clutch jumper. He would pump in 10 of the squads first 12 points and give ALC a 103-100 cushion with :42 remaining.

Lancaster, who battled till the end, went into their aggressive press, but Anderson threw the ball deep to a wide-open Tackett for a layup at :33 (105-100). Then, when Sareyka missed a long attempt for the Chargers, Tackett rebounded and found a streaking Napier who sank a break-away lay in to put the hosts ahead 107-100. Lancaster would hit a last-second three to set the final score and hand the Eagles an improbable comeback, much to the crowd's delight. 

For ALC (20-9), five players reached double figures. Anderson and Tackett led the way with 27 points apiece. Anderson drained 9-17 field goals and 7-7 free throws for his amount, while Tackett finished 8-10 from the floor and 10-11 from the charity line for his total. In addition, Anderson led everyone with 7 assists, while Tackett reached a double-double by grabbing 12 rebounds. Both players even led their team by recording 2 blocks apiece.

They were followed by Curry, who sank 5 bombs, including four down the stretch, to finish with 19 points. Soumahoro was his stellar self. Despite fouling out at the end of regulation, he scored 13 points, grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds, and nabbed 4 steals. He also showcased a pair of highlight-reel dunks, the last of which helped jump-start the crowd in the second half.

In addition, Napier came up huge off the bench, producing 10 crucial points, while Hatchett chipped in with 6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. 

The Eagles shot 47.2% (30-64) from the field, 44.4% (12-25) from beyond the arc, and 82.3% (10-12) from the free throw line. They added 46 rebounds, 18 assists, 4 blocks, and 12 steals.

The Chargers (19-9) shot 50.7% (37-73) from the field, 38.9% (14-36) from behind the arc, and 76.5% (13-17) from the charity line. They added 35 rebounds, 26 assists, 3 blocks, and 13 steals.  

The Eagles now advance to the championship game of the Mideast Region Tournament on March 7^th at 7:00 pm. They will face the #1 seeded Ohio Christian Trailblazers with a berth to the NCCAA National Championship awaiting the victor.