St. Elmo/Brownstown vs. Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg - 63rd annual St. Elmo Holiday Tournament

Host Eagles take home top prize
SEB rolls past WSS; Cumberland, Patoka/Odin, Ramsey post final day wins

12/16/2023
BY JACK BULLOCK
ST. ELMO - Saturday night in the championship game of the 69th annual St. Elmo Holiday Tournament the Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg Hatchets were looking for their third consecutive title in this long-standing event.

After a few minutes of action against the hosts it was apparent that there wasn't going to be a “three-peat.”

St. Elmo/Brownstown erased an early two-point deficit and totally dominated to matchup with a convincing 73-48 triumph.

Not many times will you see a mercy rule continuous clock come into play during a title game of a tournament but this game turned into a rout by halftime.

Coach Greg Feezel's club turned in a stellar performance in all phases of the game to improve to 10-1 on the season while snagging their 12th championship in the events long history, their fourth as a cooperative.

Balance was a key factor in the offensive output by the Eagles as five of the home team players netted double-figures in the contest.

Senior guard Josiah Maxey and senior forward Brody Mason each scored 16-points.

Senior forward Cade Schaub added 14-points and senior forward Collin Maxey (12) and senior guard Alex Atwood (12) added to the onslaught of points for Coach Feezel.

“I like being on that side of the continuous clock,” said Coach Feezel. “This was as focused as I've seen us play this season. The kids came out ready and that is how we have to play. We have to play fast and we have to play hard. We're not very big but I thought we played bigger than we have this year. We defended well tonight.”

Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg was led by tournament Most Valuable Player 6-1 junior Jackson Gurgel with a game-best 22-points.

He didn't get much scoring help as the Hatchets fell to 4-7 on the season with the title game defeat with no other WSS player scoring more than nine.

Coach Shane Smith and his staff could only sit and watch as the host team took command early and didn't let up until the final minutes when the advantage ballooned to the mercy rule point.

St. Elmo/Brownstown scorched the nets, hitting 57.6 percent of their field goal attempts (30-of-52), including 8-of-12 (66.6 percent) from the 3-point line.

The Eagles out-rebounded WSS 29-18, allowed just six offensive rebounds and just a pair of second chances in the first two quarters.

Gurgel started the game with a steal and fast break lay in to give the Hatchets a brief 2-0 in the first minute of play and the junior guard added another transition score early.

But from that point forward, not much went right for WSS.

The Eagles hit 10-of-14 from the floor in the opening eight minutes as Mason delivered the first of three 3-pointers in the first half.

Atwood netted eight-points in the first quarter that ended at 21-10 SEB.

“They (St. Elmo/Brownstown) are too good of a team to spot a lead early,” said Coach Smith. “We got a steal early and scored but we had some key missed shots and they got some outlet passes to get out in transition,” said Coach Smith. “We just couldn't knock down anything early.”

A 10-2 run to begin the second quarter by St. Elmo/Brownstown was started by a drive in the lane by Collin Maxey and 3-point bomb by junior guard Vadim Plum.

Plum nailed the shot from the left corner and then Maxey added a 3-pointer followed by a rebound basket by Schaub that pushed the lead to 31-12 with 3:48 left in the half.

A transition bucket off of one of the Hatchets' five second quarter turnovers by Mason and a shot from the left baseline by Josiah Maxey closed the half at 39-19 Eagles.

“Our seniors played like seniors. Tonight they came to play. I told them at halftime we have to act like this is a zero-zero ballgame. We have to come out and play hard,” said Coach Feezel. “You kind of worry how playing that kind of pace and being able to sustain it but tonight we were able to.”

(CONTINUED)

(CONTINUED)

Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg needed a big third quarter beginning to get back into the contest.

Coach Feezel's club didn't allow that to happen.

SEB nailed four more 3-point shots in the quarter, two from Schaub and one each from J. Maxey and Mason as the Eagles nailed down 4-of-5 from the arc in the frame.

Mason canned his trey from the right corner and he added another driving score as the hosts were in total control, 61-35, at the end of the third quarter.

J. Maxey added two more scores in the early part of the final quarter and a 3-pointer from C. Maxey triggered the continuous clock at 71-40 with 5:35 to go.

“The kids had a lot of energy tonight and I'm really happy the way they played,” said Coach Feezel. “Everyone hit the floor hard tonight.”

The actual final score could have been more had SEB performed better from the foul line as they hit just 5-of-12, the only real part of the game that was sub-par.

The rest of the statistics favored the Eagles.

Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg hit only 17-of-44 overall from the field (38.6 percent) and were just 3-of-12 from downtown.

Following a 2-0 start to the season, the Hatchets have now lost 7-of-9 games to stand at 4-7 overall.

The Eagles are off to a great start having won both the Mulberry Grove Thanksgiving Tournament and their own event.

A defeat to Effingham St. Anthony (56-38) is the only blemish for Coach Feezel's club.

WSS will host Okaw Valley on Tuesday night while SEB will welcome Afton (MO.) to town on the same night.

“I've watched this tournament for 50-some years now. We always had the 'bride's maid' syndrome (19-second place finishes) and when we get a chance to win it, it is a great feeling,” said Coach Feezel. “It may not be the biggest or the best tournament but it is something special for us.”

Championship	1	2	3	4	-	F
Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg	10	09	16	13	-	48
St. Elmo/Brownstown	21	18	22	12	-	73

Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg (48) – Manhart 1 1 3-4 8, Verdeyen 0 1 0-0 3, Sayer 1 0 0-0 2, R. Rincker 0 0 0-0 0, S. Rincker 0 0 0-0 0, Gurgel 9 0 4-7 22, Bridges 1 0 0-0 2, Gracey 2 1 2-2 9, Bible 0 0 0-0 0, Vonderheide 0 0 1-2 1, Hendrickson 0 0 1-2 1. 2FG-14, 3FG-3, FT-11-17, PF-16.
St. Elmo/Brownstown (73) – R. Powell 0 0 0-0 0, Sanders 0 0 0-0 0, Plum 0 1 0-0 3, Taylor 0 0 0-0 0, J. Maxey 6 1 1-3 16, C. Maxey 3 2 0-2 12, L. Powell 0 0 0-0 0, Wilhour 0 0 0-0 0, Schaub 3 2 2-2 14, Mason 5 2 0-0 16, Atwood 5 0 2-5 12, Monnet 0 0 0-0 0. 2FG-22, 3FG-8, FT-5-12, PF-15.
Fouled Out – R. Rincker - WSS.
Technical Fouls – None.

CUMBERLAND 53, HILLSBORO 48
The Pirates, midway through the fourth quarter, were in trouble.

Coach Justin Roedl's team were staring at a 46-35 deficit.

However his kids put together a 15-0 run which ended up being an 18-2 finish for a seven-point victory in the third place game of the SEHT.

Six-three junior forward Kelby Bierman paced the Pirates with 13-points as Cumberland had seven different players ink the book.

Blake McMechan, a 5-4 senior guard and also a football standout running back, added 11-points and made some strong defensive plays in the final minutes.

Freshman Cameron Roedl added 10-points and 6-6 sophomore Zack Harmon tossed in seven for the Pirates, who are now 5-5 on the season.

McMechan added four-straight free throws in the fourth quarter as his team hit 8-of-12 from the stripe in the final stanza to secure the victory.

Sophomore Kaleb Bierman added six points, including a pair of first quarter baskets.

“We played a little bit differently tonight, guarding two and sagging off on the other three,” said Coach Roedl. “We were worried about foul trouble but being down in the fourth quarter we went back to the style that we normally play and we created some turnovers. Our defense led to offense for us tonight. Last night (loss to St. Elmo/Brownstown) we didn't start well but we played better in the second half and it carried over to tonight for the most part. We're a young team and the kids will learn from it.”

Hillsboro was topped by 6-3 junior Nathan Matoush with 15-points.

Junior guard Caleb Greenwood added eight-points and sophomore Tony White chipped in six.

Cumberland outscored the Hiltoppers 20-6 in the final quarter, having trailed 40-33 heading to the final period.

Hillsboro is now 4-8 after dropping their first four contests of the season.

Third Place	1	2	3	4	-	F
Cumberland	08	16	09	20	-	53
Hillsboro	13	12	15	06	-	46

Cumberland (53) – B. McMechan 2 1 4-4 11. Roedl 2 2 0-0 10, K. McMechan 0 0 0-0 0, Buescher 2 0 0-0 4, Ke. Bierman 4 0 5-10 13, Ka. Bierman 2 0 2-2 6, Vanetta 0 0 2-2 2, Harmon 3 0 1-4 7.
2FG-15, 3FG-3, FT-14-22, PF-16.
Hillsboro (46) – Greenwood 3 0 2-4 8, Waite 0 2 0-0 6, Tuetken 0 1 0-0 3, Matoush 5 1 2-5 15, Mattson 0 0 0-0 0, Stewart 1 1 0-2 5, Harston 2 0 0-4 4, Lowe 2 0 0-0 4, Lentz 0 0 1-2 1.
2FG-13, 3FG-5, FT-5-17, PF-22.
Fouled Out – None.
Technical Fouls – None.

PATOKA/ODIN 56, CHBC 54
The Warriors nabbed the consolation championship with a two-point win over their Egyptian Illini Conference rival Bobcats.

Owen Landreth, a 5-10 senior guard, produced a game-high 35-points in the victory for head coach Joe Eddy.

After a 63-58 loss to WSS on Tuesday, Patoka/Odin topped both Mulberry Grove and CHBC to take home the hardware.

Landreth hit six 3-pointers in the game and nailed 9-of-12 free throws, including 5-of-6 in the final minutes to hold off the Bobcats.

Four other Warriors scored points in the win.

Six-two freshman Brady Cain netted seven-points and 5-11 junior Tyler Huffman added six.

Sophomore guard Lincoln Roberts nailed a big 3-pointer in the fourth quarter along with a pair of key late game free throws for his team.

Senior Braden Meyer added three-points in the second quarter to round out the Warriors' scoring.

Head coach Tanner Thompson saw his club's rally fall just short.

Six-three senior Clayton Wojcik scored 21-points for the Bobcats, who are now 5-6 overall.

Wojcik hit 9-of-12 free throws in the contest as CHBC stayed close by hitting 18-of-25 foul shots.

Six-foot senior Gage Lorton added 17-points (eight in the fourth quarter) and junior Kaidyn Calame scored nine.

Consolation Championship	1	2	3	4	-	F
Patoka/Odin	14	14	11	17	-	56
CHBC	13	08	12	21	-	54

Patoka/Odin (56) – Cain 3 0 1-2 7, Roberts 0 1 2-4 5, Arnold 0 0 0-0 0, Robb 0 0 0-0 0, Huffman 1 1 1-2 6, Williams 0 0 0-0 0, Landreth 4 6 9-12 35, Meyer 1 0 1-2 3, Voelkel 0 0 0-0 0, Parrish 0 0 0-0 0.
2FG-9, 3FG-8, FT-14-23, PF-22.
CHBC (54) – Evans 0 0 0-0 0, Wojcik 6 0 9-12 21, Rueff 2 0 0-0 4, Calame 1 2 1-2 9, Radloff 1 0 0-0 2, Schlanser 0 0 1-2 1, Lorton 5 0 7-9 17. 2FG-15, 3FG-2, FT-18-25, PF-19.
Fouled Out – Arnold - Patoka/Odin.
Technical Fouls – Rueff - CHBC.

RAMSEY 83, MULBERRY GROVE 77 (OT)
The Rams won the high scoring seventh place matchup to improve to 2-11.

The win snapped a nine-game losing skid for Coach Jeff Babbs.

In a foul plagued game that saw teams each shoot 30-free throws, Ramsey made 10 3-pointers to make up for hitting just 15-of-30 from the foul line.

Senior Landon Christian led the Rams with 25-points as he hit three of the long range shots.

Hayden Hayes and Gunner Finley, both seniors, scored 23 and 21.

Senior reserve Kevin Moreland hit two 3-pointers, including one in overtime, to help the Rams get the victory while freshman Aaron Trexler added eight-points.

The triumph avenged a 78-64 loss to the Aces back in November at the MG Thanksgiving event.

Mulberry Grove (3-7) had five players score double-figures with the leader being 6-5 senior Landon Sugg with 21.

Sophomore Jackson Icenogle added 20-points to go along with three players; senior Carter Scoggins, sophomore Logan Bauer and sophomore Hagan Henrichsmeyer, who added 12-points each.

Seventh Place	1	2	3	4	OT	F
Ramsey	13	17	20	24	09	83
Mulberry Grove	21	16	14	23	03	77

Ramsey (83) – Moreland 0 2 0-2 6, Crockett 0 0 0-0 0, Claycomb 0 0 0-2 0, Finley 6 2 3-4 21, Christian 6 3 4-8 25, Trexler 1 1 3-6 8, Hayes 6 2 5-8 23, Benhoff 0 0 0-0 0. 2FG-19, 3FG-10, FT-15-30, PF-23.
Mulberry Grove (77) – Henrichsmeyer 3 1 3-4 12, Bauer 5 0 2-5 12, Walker 0 0 0-0 0, Icenogle 4 1 9-12 20, Scoggins 4 1 1-2 12, Sugg 8 0 5-7 21. 2FG-24, 3FG-3, FT-20-30, PF-20.
Fouled Out – Benhoff - Ramsey; Scoggins - Mulberry Grove.
Technical Fouls – None.

The all-tournament team consisted of first team selections MVP Jackson Gurgel of WSS, Nathan Matoush of Hillsboro, Gunner Finley of Ramsey, Owen Landreth of Patoka/Odin and Adam Atwood of St. Elmo/Brownstown. The second team featured Josiah and Collin Maxey of St. Elmo/Brownstown, Conner Manhart of WSS, Clayton Wojcik of CHBC and Zack Harmon of Cumberland. The defense award went to Josiah Maxey of SEB.