Lady Eagles Overcome Four-Point Deficit in Final 14 Seconds to Defeat IU Southeast in RSC Tournament

Pippa Passes, KY:  The Alice Lloyd College Lady Eagles rallied from a four-point deficit in the final 14 seconds to take out the Indiana University Southeast Grenadiers in a thriller, 74-73. The River States Tournament Quarter-final matchup took place on Wednesday, February 22nd.

In the opening period, the visitors got 11 points from Alex Maher to propel them to a lead, while ALC countered with 10 points from leading-scorer Hannah Kash. The Hoosier squad held a 21-18 advantage after ten minutes of play.

In the second quarter, ALC would come out ice-cold and only sink five shots. IUS took full advantage of this and took the stanza 17-11. The visitors would lead 38-29 at intermission.

In the third period, the Lady Eagles would see Kash and junior forward Madison Thompson combine for 15 big points and lift their squad to a 21-13 run. When Kash bagged a half-court buzzer beater, Alice Lloyd would trail by only one (51-50) entering the last ten minutes.

In the final quarter, the fans would get their money's worth. For the first nine minutes, Kash and junior guard Katie Jo Moore would come up big for the Caney Creek crew, sinking crucial shots as the tension rose. However, Southeast would eventually stick a huge trifecta with just.17 remaining to lead 73-69. The game appeared over.

However, no one told that to Coach John Mills' chargers. On the next possession, Kash coolly swished a mammoth bomb, and the score read 73-72 with .11 left. ALC then fouled with .06 showing.

With the crowd on their feet and Indiana's Maher shooting two charity tosses, she misfired on both. Caney senior guard Tori Hampton snagged the board for the hosts, and quickly fired the ball to Kash at half-court. She dribbled twice and fed the ball to sophomore Makayla May under the bucket. The forward drew a foul while shooting with just four-tenths of a second left in the game.

With the contest on the line, May showed she had ice water flowing through her veins. She calmly swished the first attempt to tie things at 73, and IU called a timeout. After returning, she deftly drained the second to give the Lady Eagles the lead (74-73). Southeast lost the ball on their last possession, giving the Pippa Passes club the stunning win. The jubilant crowd then voiced their approval of the fantastic comeback.

For the Pippa Passes squad (19-7), Kash would lead the way with 32 points, including 19 in the critical second half. She sank 4 bombs and 10-13 free throws, while grabbing 6 boards. Moorebagged 13 points, with 9 coming in the clutch. She also nabbed 7 boards, and handed off 6 assists. 

In addition, Thompson recorded a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds, and May chipped in with 7 points, including the game -winner.

The victors won shooting 40% (26-65) from the field and 30.4% (7-23) from long range. They connected on 78.9% (15-19) from the foul line, and added 31 rebounds, 11 assists, and 7 steals.

IU Southeast (19-10) was led by Emmy Ralph with 20 points. Her squad finished shooting 47.3% (26-65) from the field and 11.8% (2-17) from long range. They connected on 67.9% (19-28) from the foul line. They also added 37 rebounds, 9 assists, and 5 steals.

The #2 East Division seeded Lady Eagles will return to action this Saturday February 25th when they travel to West Division #1 seeded Midway University for the semi-final game of the River States Tournament. The winner will advance to next Tuesdays championship. Tipoff is set for 3:00pm.