Panthers Pull Away from Red Devils

ELSAH, IL. – The Eureka men's basketball team struggled to find their rhythm on the road against Principia on Saturday, falling to the Panthers 81-50.

Eureka only trailed by a narrow margin at halftime (down 33-24). But the Panthers set the tone early in the second half, going on a 28-6 run to start the second period of play. Principia's hard-working defense led to success on the offensive end, as they came away with 21 points off turnovers compared to Eureka's 10. Principia also outperformed Eureka in the paint, picking up 40 points in the paint compared to EC's 18.

The Panthers were led by senior forward Jaquan Adams, who notched a double-double with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Adams was one of three Panthers to end the night in double figures. Shemarri Miles recorded 12 points in the game and Charley Hoffman added another 11 to the tally.

Noah Persich (Peoria, Ill./Metamora) topped the scoring chart for the Red Devils with 13 points, going 6-for-10 from the field. Blake Logsdon (Meridian, Idaho/Mountain View) joined Persich in double-digit figures with 10 points on the night, going 3-for-8 from the field and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.

Cody Baer (Peoria, Ill./Dunlap/Southwestern Illinois) notched 7 points for Eureka and led the team with 6 rebounds. Peewee Brown (Peoria, Ill./Manual/Lincoln) and Dylan Logsdon (Meridian, Idaho/Mountain View) each added 5 to the Red Devils' tally.

Saturday's result propelled Principia into the postseason as the 6 seed in the SLIAC tournament and brought Eureka's season to a close. With Saturday's loss, the Red Devils finish the 2023-24 season with a 7-18 record and a 5-13 mark in SLIAC play. Still, Eureka showed this season that, at their best, they can compete with any team in the conference. Despite missing out on the postseason, Coach Wilde and the Red Devils have a strong group returning and will look to make a return to the playoffs next season.