Red Devils Fall at Rockford

ROCKFORD, Ill. – The Eureka men's basketball team started strong but ultimately fell to Rockford on Saturday afternoon, 77-63.

The Red Devils jumped out to an early 17-11 lead less than 8 minutes into the game and held onto that advantage for much of the first half. Eureka extended its lead to as much as 7 when Jacob Gonzalez (Los Angeles, Calif./Chatsworth Charter) made a layup with just under 8 minutes left in the half. However, over the next 3 minutes, Rockford responded with a 10-0 run to take a 29-26 lead.

Eureka regained the lead when Micah Bruer (Washington, Ill./Washington Community) sank back-to-back three-pointers, giving the Red Devils a 32-31 advantage. Unfortunately, that would be their final lead of the night, as Rockford closed the half with another 10-0 run, taking a 41-32 lead into halftime.

In the second half, Eureka cut into the lead early, scoring the first 5 points on a layup by Peewee Brown (Peoria, Ill./Manual) and a layup-plus-free throw by Emaryon Byrd (Peoria, Ill./Manual). After a layup by Rockford, Amariyae Wilson (Terre Haute, Ind./Terre Haute South) nailed a three-pointer, narrowing the deficit to just 3 points. Following a few more baskets by each team, the Red Devils found themselves down by 5 with 14 minutes to play.

However, Rockford went on an 11-0 run, extending their lead to 60-44 with 10 minutes remaining. The 16-point deficit proved too much for Eureka to overcome, and the Red Devils fell 77-63.

GAME NOTES

• Emaryon Byrd led the Red Devils in points (13) and rebounds (10), earning his third straight double-double and fourth of the season.
• Jacob Gonzalez scored 8 points off the bench for Eureka.

UP NEXT

The Red Devils (2-4, 1-0) resume SLIAC play on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 7:30 p.m., when they host Greenville (2-5, 0-1).