GALESBURG, Illinois— The Knox Prairie Fire men's basketball team was victorious this Saturday against the Beloit College Buccaneers, winning by a final score of 81-68. The victory gives them three wins in their last four games, giving them a nice foundation to end the year on.
 
In the first half, Knox looked to stretch the floor to create open shots. This approach worked wonders for Ethan Meeker, as he put up 11 points while pulling down seven rebounds. The team in general used their 10-12 free throw shooting to put up points on Beloit while slowing down the pace of play, which suited their offensive philosophy. Defensively, the Prairie Fire held strong, impressively allowing only 5-17 of their three pointers to land, effectively keeping them at bay as they entered the half up by 10 points.
 
The second half saw an offensive explosion from Meeker, as he scored upwards of 50% of the team's points in the half. He used an extremely hot 8-11 performance from the field to put up 21 points in the half alone, giving him his season high in points and securing a double-double as a result. Knox rode Meeker's hot hand (and a scorching 6-9 performance from downtown) and a staunch defense that only allowed 37.9% of Beloit's shots to fall to an easy victory.
 
Meeker finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists to lead the Prairie Fire. Matthew Leary scored 13 points while Deryk Ruple and Jordan Rayner each added 12 points.
 
"We are playing good basketball right now," said head coach Ben Davis. "We are playing well on both ends of the court and showing all the work we have put in this season."
 
Knox looks to head towards the final stretch when they host Illinois College this Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.