PIPPA PASSES — Former Patriot Noah Young was among four players reaching double figures as the Alice Lloyd Eagles earned a big home victory by defeating the University of the Virgin Islands Buccaneers, 82-69 on Thursday.

Young finished with 16 points, going 3-for-5 from three-point range and had five rebounds. Blake Smith led the Eagles with a game-high 24 points, sinking 9 of 13 field goals (2-3 3pt shots). He added 7 rebounds and led both squads with 5 assists. Austin Combs finished 4-for-8 from behind the arc in netting 13 points while Colyn Sturgill recorded 11 points on a bevy of beautiful inside moves. In addition, senior forward Simon Christon scrapped all night as he hauled down 14 rebounds and recorded 2 steals. Ryan House added 8 points with 2 deep bombs of his own

In the opening half, UVI forward Keith Gilmore gave his athletic club an early lead with a trifecta, but the Eagles would quickly reverse things. The squads played even ball the majority of the half as the two teams traded buckets. The fans were treated to a close affair, and late in the period, Smith, an ALC junior guard, would sink a jumper to delight the home fans and send his squad into the locker room nursing a 40-38 cushion.

In the second half, Alice Lloyd would come out well and give their crowd more reason to cheer as they did an excellent job of executing the offense. Smith and Sturgill, a freshman center, would combine for 10 points to propel the hosts on an 18-6 spurt. Suddenly with 13:57 showing on the clock, the score read 58-44.

The Eagles didn’t stop there. Leading by twelve (62-50) with 11:03 remaining, Young, a sophomore guard, was fouled as he scored on a teardrop in the paint, then completed the old-fashioned three-point play. After a stop on defense, Combs, an ALC sophomore guard, would then swish a bomb.

On the next defensive series, the jumping-jack Smith would rise high for a big rejection in the paint, and Combs then followed up with another three-point basket to bring the fans to their feet. After UVI missed once again, House, a senior guard, literally brought the “house” down when he swished a jumper. Suddenly with 9:03 left to play, the score stood 73-50.

The Virgin Islands brought an impressive club from St. Thomas and they would quickly chop seven points off the deficit. However, after slicing the margin to 74-57 with just over six minutes to play, Alice Lloyd slammed the door shut.

First, Smith connected on two free throws. After several plays of good team defense, first Combs, then Smith, connected once again from long range. After the dust had settled, the advantage was now 25 (82-57) at the 3:49 juncture. A few late buckets by the guests would set the final score.
UVI (5-5) was led by Gilmore with 16 points.

For the game, the winners shot a solid 49.2% (31-for-63) including 44.8% (13-for-29) from three-point land. They were also 63.6 % (7-for-11) from the foul line. They added 40 rebounds, 16 assists, and 4 steals.

The Buccaneers shot 41.8% (28-for-67) including 20.8% (5-for-24) from long range. They were also 53.3% (8-for-15) from the foul line while adding 25 rebounds, 7 assists, and 8 steals.