ROBINSON, Ill. -- The Wabash Valley men's basketball team lost its' first three Great Rivers Athletic Conference games of the season enroute to a 3-5 first half of the league schedule 

Now on the second go-around, the Warriors are singing a different tune. They are off to a 2-1 start. 

Call this: The Avenger Tour. 

WVC won its' second straight GRAC game against a team they had lost to earlier in the season, a convincing 86-74 win at Lincoln Trail on Saturday. 

The Warriors improved to 12-11 on the season and pulled to within one game of the .500 mark in the GRAC, at 5-6. Lincoln Trail, which defeated Wabash Valley, 66-61, on Dec. 3, fell to 12-10 and 5-5 with the loss. 

A potent 1-2 combo of Jakobi Heady and Brandon Rayzer-Moore led the way for the Warriors. Heady finished with 24 points and Rayzer-Moore 23. 

Also landing in double figures for WVC were Gary Clay with 16 points, and Jaylen Boyd with 11. 

The Statesmen received 16-point performances from Clint Wickliffe, Jr. and Chris Felix, Jr. to lead the way. 

Wabash Valley jumped to a 27-12 lead in the first 11 minutes of the game, then had to survive a stretch of cold shooting coupled with Lincoln Trail's switch to a zone defense which dried things up inside for the normally potent Warrior post game to hang on to a 35-28 lead at halftime. 

In the second half though, the mid-range shooting touch returned for the visitors, especially by Heady who scored 19 of his points in the final frame, and the Warriors were able to expand the margin to as many as 14 points, 70-56, with six minutes remaining. 

Isaac Wodajo's Warriors are back at home on Wednesday, Feb. 1 for a 7 p.m. GRAC game against Rend Lake (6-13, 2-8), seeking a third three-game winning streak of the season.  

You can view photos of the game, courtesy of Lincoln Trail College, by clicking here:

https://lincolntrailcollege.prestosports.com/sports/mbkb/2022-23/photos/0015/index