12-15-12
BY JACK BULLOCK
ST. ELMO –
Whether it is boxing or basketball, it never hurts to have a good
“one-two” punch.
The St. Elmo Eagles boy's basketball team put
that combination to good use on Saturday night in the title
battle against its long time rival from the East.
Using a big first half from junior guard Levi
Maxey and a equally huge second half from Conner Beasley, the
host Eagles withstood a comeback by Altamont to forge a 69-63
championship game victory in front of a packed house in the
final game of the 53rd annual event.
Maxey, the tournament's Most Valuable Player,
exploded for 23-first half points and ended up with 33 on the
night.
Beasley helped close the door on the Indians
with 21-points, 14 of which came in the second half.
When the final buzzer rang out, St. Elmo had
secured its second consecutive title in this event.
“This (winning the SEHT) doesn't get old.
I played in championships here in this gym and have been a part
of it coaching, it is just a great atmosphere for 1A basketball,”
said Coach Feezel, who was on the 1987 title team. “If
you want to sum this ballgame up with one word it was 'physical'
and I think that everyone saw that tonight. Every rebound that
we got was contested.”
Maxey triggered a 15-0 second quarter run with
nine-straight points (12-points total) as the Eagles improved
to 6-2 on the season.
The 5-foot-11 junior guard nailed a pair of
3-point bombs in the scoring blitz sandwiched around a conventional
three-point play as he drove the lane for a basket while being
fouled by Cole Borders.
He later added a free throw and another basket
to his run as St. Elmo turned a 17-15 disadvantage at the end
of the first quarter into a 32-19 lead (17-2 run).
“I keep telling him (Maxey) that you are
a junior point-guard and we need you to just keep playing well,”
added Coach Feezel. “He showed this week what he can do.
I told him 'you just have to bring your A-Game every night'
and I was very proud of him tonight. We talk a lot and I told
him we (coach and point guard) have to be on the same page.
Tonight he did everything I needed him to do.”
Altamont, who began the season 6-0 under new
head coach John Niebrugge, tasted defeat for the first time
in 2012-13 despite 20-points from Garrett Ziegler and 16-points
from Jon Kuhns.
The Indians weathered the second quarter beginning
and chipped away at the Eagles' lead with a pair of baskets
by Kuhns late in the quarter.
However a bucket by senior Ben Davis from St.
Elmo closed the half at 36-27.
Altamont could have cut into the lead even further
but the Tribe was just 4-of-10 from the foul line in the second
frame.
 This
issue turned into a 10-of-22 result for the contest, ultimately
being one of the key factors in the loss.
“We have to do a better job shooting free
throws (10-of-22) and if we make just eight more of them it
is a different story tonight,” said Coach Niebrugge, a
Teutopolis native who is very familiar with the surroundings
of this tournament and conference. “Hopefully we will
get another shot at them soon.”
The Eagles allowed Altamont back into the fray
by also having some issues from that line 15-feet away from
the goal.
Coach Greg Feezel's squad missed eight free
throws in the third quarter and managed to hit 24-of-40 for
the game.
Altamont took advantage of the Eagles' problem
with senior guard Logan Hill contributing eight points to a
17-point third period.
Hill nailed a pair of 3-pointers in the frame
and when teammate Jake Seidel scored in the paint to close the
quarter, Altamont's title hopes were still alive at 46-44 heading
into the fourth.
The Indians persistence paid dividends as they
got their only lead of the second half with 3:17 remaining.
Back-to-back scores from senior forward Ryan
Mayhaus and Kuhns gave Coach Niebrugge's team a brief lead.
When Kuhns scored in the lane on a nice assist
from Mayhaus, Altamont led 51-50.
Less than a minute later, Beasley gave the Eagles
back the lead for good.
After hitting 1-of-2 free throws to even the
score the 6-foot-4 senior forward nailed his second long range
bomb of the contest, a 20-footer from the top of the arc, to
give St. Elmo a 54-51 lead.
While Coach Feezel's team struggled from the
foul line early, his club excelled late.
St. Elmo closed the contest making 15-of-20
charities down the stretch.
Altamont, exhausted by its fierce comeback,
could get no closer than three points the rest of the game as
it finished in second place in the tournament.
Beasley slammed the door shut by hitting 4-of-6
free throws in the last :45 seconds.
Ziegler, a 6-foot junior guard, hit a trio of
3-pointers in the game and his last one before the buzzer cut
the final deficit to six-points.
St. Elmo was 19-of-41 from the field overall
while netting 7-of-15 trifectas.
They held a 31-23 rebounding edge while committing
just 12-turnovers.
The Indians were just 23-of-57 overall and were
7-of-17 from beyond the arc.
Altamont took pretty good care of the ball in
the struggle, committing just eight turnovers.
To begin the game Altamont got off to the better
start of the two combatants.
A 7-0 run fueled by 3-pointer by Ziegler, gave
the Indians its biggest lead.
Kuhns scored twice in the early going and his
drive to the basket gave Altamont a 12-6 lead.
But with Maxey delivering the big baskets in
the second quarter and Beasley coming up with the key conversions
in the final minutes, St. Elmo got to celebrate the school's
eighth tournament championship in the events long run.
“We pride ourselves on our conditioning
and I don't know if we were gassed or not but the boys worked
hard and we can't complain about it (the result). We didn't
run anything different offensively tonight. Our offense is so
far behind our defense right now. They (St. Elmo) won this battle
but hopefully we will win the war,” added Coach Niebrugge,
as these two teams could meet an additional four times this
season, including the Vandalia Holiday Tournament. “I
challenged the boys at halftime. I told them he (Maxey) has
23 of their 36 points. Someone show me that you can guard him.
Play help side defense and do the things that you were taught.
We fought hard to comeback but they are a good team.”
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
- |
F |
| Altamont
|
17 |
10 |
17 |
19 |
- |
63 |
| St.
Elmo |
15 |
21 |
10 |
23 |
- |
69 |
Altamont
(63) – Ziegler 3 3 5-9 20,
McGinnis 0 0 0-0 0, Seidel 1 0 0-0 2, Hill 1 2 0-0 8, Borders
1 0 0-2 2, J. Kuhns 6 0 4-8 16, Mayhaus 2 0 0-0 4, Jahraus 2
2 1-3 11.
2FG-16, 3FG-7, FT-10-22 , PF-26.
St. Elmo (69) –
Bartels 2 0 4-6 8, Brady 0 0 0-1 0, Beasley 1 3 10-14 21, M.
Maxey 0 0 0-0 0, Wells 1 0 1-6 3, L. Maxey 6 4 9-13 33, Smithson
0 0 0-0 0, Davis 2 0 0-0 4.
2FG-12, 3FG-7, FT-24-40, PF-19.
Fouled Out – Jahraus
- Altamont.
Technical Fouls –
None. |
