Sunday, January 19, 2025
The Beloit Trojans defeated the Lyons Lions, 70-58, Friday, January 3, for the fourth consecutive win.
With the win, Beloit improved to 4-2 overall and 4-0 in the NCAA. On Friday, January 10, the Trojans will host the Hoisington Cardinals, who were seeking their third win in six games as they faced Smoky Valley on Tuesday.
A basket by junior Luke Cheney and three-pointer by junior Charlie Burke put Beloit ahead, 5-0, to start Friday's game. After a Lyons free throw, senior Jackson Cheney's trey pushed the lead to 8-1.
The Trojans scored five of the next eight points to lead, 13-4, as the middle of the first quarter approached. Beloit outscored the visitors 9-7 the rest of the frame and led, 22-11, going to the second.
After the hosts scored four of the first six points in the second, Lyons answered with a 16-9 spurt to narrow the gap to 35-29 late in the half. Senior Ryker Clark closed the period with a basket, and Beloit led, 37-29, at the break.
Senior Eli Johnson made a bucket early in the third quarter to ignite an offensive explosion. Junior Brody Litton added six points in the 14-2 run that pushed the edge to 51-31.
Beloit scored nine of the final 16 points in the quarter to lead, 60-38, headed to the fourth.
After a Lyons free throw, Johnson’s trey extended the lead to 24. The teams treaded baskets before the visitors’ 6-2 spurt, which cut the lead to 67-49.
A free throw by Litton was followed by seven consecutive points by Lyons that closed a 17-5 run.
Johnson’s bucket completed Beloit’s scoring before a Lyons basket early in the final minute ended the scoring in the Trojans’ 12-point win.
Beloit Head Coach Ryan Eilert said that his team’s offense performed well in the first game after the semester break.
“I thought we did a lot of good things offensively,” he said. "We had a good combination tonight."
Another excellent performance by Johnson, who made four treys as he again scored more than 20 points, drew the praise of his coach.
“He shot in rhythm,” said Eilert. “They were good shots.”
Also, Eilert was pleased with the contributions of Litton and Clark.
“I thought Brody played tremendous tonight,” the coach said. “I thought Ryker did a tremendous job on the boards. He anticipates better than anybody we have.”
Eilert was pleased with his team’s outside shooting as the Trojans made 11 treys in the victory. He was hoping that his team had high-quality practices leading up to its fourth home game in 25 days.
Eli Johnson led Beloit scoring 26 points followed by Brody Litton with 11 points. Jackson Cheney scored 9 points; Kale Leners 8; Luke Cheney 7; Ryker Clark 5; Charlie Burke 3; Joel Rexroat 1.
