Red Wolves cook up fifth consecutive win
Red Wolves cook up fifth consecutive win
MIDWAY, Ky. - Josh Cook kept running, and he keyed a scoring run that clinched another Red Wolves win.
Cook (Gas City, Ind./Mississinewa High School) scored a career-high 18 points and sophomore guard Matt Trimnell (Seymour, Ind./Seymour High School) had 19 as the Indiana University East men's basketball team earned an 83-72 Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference win against Alice Lloyd College on Feb. 4.
Cook scored 10 of his points during a 14-2 IU East surge that gave the Red Wolves a 75-60 lead after the Eagles had reduced an 18-point IU East lead to three.
"I tried to run the floor as much as I could," Cook said. "I was able to get a lot of those points in transition."
IU East (22-5, 9-1) stays in a virtual tie for first place in the KIAC. The Red Wolves picked up their fifth consecutive win.
Alice Lloyd fell to 12-12 (4-6 KIAC).
"Josh played with a high energy level," said IU East coach Mark Hester. "The last five minutes we started getting stops on defense. They were one-and-done, and we were forcing long shots, getting long rebounds and finishing in transition."
The key stat: the Red Wolves outrebounded the Eagles 40-39. IU East is 16-0 when it outrebounds its opponent.
"That's a great accomplishment for us," Cook said. "They are a big team and a great rebounding team."
Trimnell scored nine of his points in the first six minutes to stake the Red Wolves to the early lead. Trimnell sat out IU East's win against Brescia University on Feb. 2 to rest an injured foot, but quickly made his presence known in his return.
"We're glad Matt was able to come back, and he got us out to a good beginning," Cook said.
The game was played at Midway College, but was considered a home game for IU East.
The Red Wolves won after a what-else-can-go-wrong week that included foot injuries to three players - senior guard Terry Weathers sat out against Alice Lloyd with a severe ankle sprain - and a player's car catching fire in the IU East parking lot.
"We'll take the win," Hester said. "At this point in the year with our (injury) situation, whether it's one point or 10 points it doesn't matter. It's 'get it done.' From here on out that's what we're after.
Casey Dalton led Alice Lloyd with 17 points.
IU East plays at KIAC opponent Berea College on Feb. 10.
Click here for the IU East-Alice Lloyd box score