ELMHURST, Ill. – The Bluejay defense would lead the way on Wednesday night, holding off the CCIW co-leaders in a 72-60 win over Carthage inside R.A. Faganel Hall.
The Firebirds would be held to their third-lowest point total of the year, and their second-lowest shooting percentage, going 20-for-55 from the floor (36.4%) while Elmhurst used the long ball to take the win, shooting 47.6% (10-21) from beyond the arc on the night.
Dominic Trelenberg paced the Jays with 24 points on 7-of-11 shooting, and a 5-for-6 performance from three-point range. Four players finished in double figures for Elmhurst, with Sebastian Blachut collecting 15 points with three steals, Aidyn Boone scoring 11 and seven rebounds, and Jack Cherry coming off the bench to score 10 points with four assists.
A back-and-forth battle throughout the night would see Carthage jump out to an 11-2 lead in the opening minutes. The Bluejays would score eight straight behind a pair of threes from Talen Pearson and Trelenberg to cut the deficit to two, 17-15 by the 12:47 mark of the first half.
A 9-0 run midway through the first half capped by a pair of buckets from Boone gave Elmhurst their first lead of the night, 24-20. The visitors would move back in front again, but a late three-pointer by Blachut would lead to a 38-35 Bluejay lead at the half.
Two three-pointers from Trelenberg and Boone to open the second half quickly gave the Jays a nine-point lead, 44-35 before the Firebirds were able to respond. Carthage would rally with nine unanswered to go back in front, 50-49 with 12:44 to play, as a narrow lead would change hands four times throughout the middle portions of the second half.
Pearson's layup with 7:10 remaining would kick-start an 8-2 run for the Jays, leading to a 61-56 lead that they would hold on to the rest of the way. Elmhurst would finish 7-for-8 from the free throw line over the final 2:16 to secure the win, improving their record inside Faganel Hall this season to 8-1.
The Jays will look to continue the momentum on Saturday, when they host North Central for a CCIW matchup beginning at 4:15 p.m.
