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For Immediate Release
Feb. 20, 2010
Seniors Lead Red Devils Past Westminster, 82-56
EUREKA, Ill. – On an afternoon in which they played the final home game of their Eureka College careers, seniors Michael Zasada (McHenry, Ill./McHenry H.S.) and Kameron Bell (Clinton, Ill./Clinton H.S./Carl Sandburg) combined to score 50 points and grab 24 rebounds, helping the Red Devils topple SLIAC-leader Westminster, 82-56. The victory clinches a league tournament berth for the Red Devils for the first time since 2006-07.
Zasada poured in a game-high 26 points to lead the Red Devils in scoring for the 15th time this season. Bell was close behind with 24 points, and both players shared game-high honors with 12 rebounds. Both players were honored during a pregame ceremony that included a celebration for the program’s 1,000th men’s basketball victory recorded last month at Blackburn.
The Red Devils and Blue Jays traded the lead six times early in the first half before junior forward Josh Wagner (Roanoke, Ill./Roanoke-Benson H.S./Carl Sandburg) buried a jumper to push Eureka in front, 18-17, with 11:39 left. The Red Devils eventually extended their lead to seven points, but Westminster’s Ky Millard scored inside to bring Westminster within five points, 31-26, late in the first half.
Eureka ended the first half with a flurry of offense, using a 13-0 surge over the final 3-minutes, 36-seconds of the half to take a 44-26 advantage at halftime. Sophomore guard Jordan Kindred (Chrisman, Ill./Chrisman H.S) controlled a loose ball near the Eureka bench and fired a length-of-the-court pass that bounced once and landed in the hands of Bell directly under the basket for a layup with 1:10 left. Sophomore guard Austin Nicholas (Manitou Springs, Colo./Manitou Springs H.S./Lamar) took a feed from Zasada and beat the horn with a three-pointer from the corner to cap the relentless push by the Red Devils.
The Red Devils kept their foot on the accelerator throughout the second half, getting a three-point play from Zasada on the their second trip down the floor for a 47-26 lead. Westminster drew with 19 points on three separate occasions, the third coming with 10:19 left, but Eureka maintained control and pushed its lead to as many as 29 points after a basket from Bell in the final minute of the game.
Saturday’s victory marked Eureka’s first league win over Westminster since joining the nine-team conference prior to the 2006-07 season, snapping a string of seven consecutive league defeats in the all-time series. The 26-point decision was the most lopsided Division III defeat for Westminster since an 86-53 loss to Hendrix (Ark.) on Nov. 21, 2008. Kurt Kovach paced the Blue Jays with 15 points and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
Following Eureka’s final regular season game at Greenville on Tuesday at 8 p.m., the Red Devils will prepare for the 2009-10 SLIAC Tournament to be hosted by Westminster in Fulton, Mo. on Feb. 25 and Feb. 27. Eureka can still climb as high as the #2 seed in the four-team tournament, but can also fall as low as the #4 seed depending on the outcomes of the final league games to be played early next week. Thursday’s semifinal games at Westminster are scheduled for 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., while the title game is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 27 at a time yet to be determined.
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For More Information Contact:
Bryan Moore
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