Late Blackburn Run Spoils Eureka’s Road Effort

CARLINVILLE, Ill. – The Eureka women's basketball team saw a strong start slip away on Saturday afternoon, falling 90-73 on the road at Blackburn. The loss marked the second meeting between the teams this season, as the Beavers also edged the Red Devils 91-77 in Eureka on Nov. 25.

Blackburn opened the game with an early surge, but Eureka answered to pull even when Railynn Brown (Erlanger, Ky./Lloyd Memorial) knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game at 8-8 midway through the first quarter. After the Beavers briefly reclaimed the lead, Kayla Collins (Fort Worth, Texas/Fort Worth Christian) connected from beyond the arc to even the score at 11-11 before following with a layup to give Eureka its first lead at 13-11. The teams continued to trade momentum, with Abigail Martinez (Los Alamos, N.M./Los Alamos) draining a three to put Eureka back in front, 19-17. Martinez added a pair of free throws to extend the advantage to 21-17, but Blackburn closed the quarter with the final points to trim the deficit to 21-19 after one.

Eureka carried its momentum into the second quarter as Sierra Garcia-Reisch (Las Animas, Colo./La Junta) and Allysa Taylor (Tehachapi, Calif./Tehachapi) opened the frame with baskets to push the lead to 25-19. Courtney Hart (Lancaster, Calif./Yosemite) then took over offensively, scoring Eureka's next eight points to give the Red Devils a 33-27 edge. A Collins layup stretched the lead to eight, and Martinez followed with seven consecutive points during a key stretch to help Eureka build a 42-33 advantage. Blackburn responded late in the half, but Taylor's layup just before the break sent Eureka into halftime with a 44-37 lead.

Out of the locker room, Martinez continued her career night by knocking down a three-pointer, and Brown added another triple as part of an 8-0 run to start the third quarter. Martinez capped the surge with a layup, giving Eureka its largest lead of the night at 15 points. After Blackburn chipped away, Brown buried another three to make it 57-43. The Beavers answered with a 7-2 run to pull within single digits, but a Taylor layup restored an 11-point cushion at 61-50. Blackburn then closed the quarter on a 9-0 run, cutting the deficit to 61-59 heading into the fourth.

The Beavers carried that momentum into the final quarter, extending their run to 17-0 to take a 67-61 lead, their first advantage since the opening quarter. Taylor halted the run with a three to bring Eureka back within one possession, but Blackburn answered with another 7-0 spurt to create separation. Hart scored on a layup to make it 76-68, but Eureka could get no closer as Blackburn closed out the contest to secure the 90-73 victory.

Martinez led the Red Devils with a career-high 19 points. Brown also posted a career night, finishing with a career-high 12 points. Hart recorded her third double double of the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Taylor rounded out a balanced effort with 12 points, five rebounds, five assists, and four steals.

UP NEXT

Eureka returns home on Thursday to host MUW at 5:30 p.m. MUW enters the matchup coming off its first SLIAC win of the season, a 68-65 victory over Lyon on Saturday.