12/21/2024
BY JACK BULLOCK
ST. ELMO – On Saturday night in the title contest of the 64th annual St. Elmo Holiday Tournament, the Cumberland Pirates played about as well as they could play.

And that was bad news for Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg.

Coach Justin Roedl had his team ready and it showed during a dominating performance as the Pirates.

Cumberland survived a brief run by the Hatchets in the first quarter and then took command in a dominating second stanza.

The Pirates cruised to a 64-42 championship game conquest over the Hatchets to take home their first crown at the event since joining the field in 2015.

Twice previously the Pirates reached the finale at St. Elmo only to lose in the championship matchup.

This time Cumberland rode the hot shooting from sophomore guard Chase Stewart and the defense that forced an abysmal shooting effort from the Hatchets to the win.

Stewart, a 5-11 marksman, nailed down eight 3-pointers and finished with 26-points to lead all point producers.

Meanwhile WSS hit on just 11-of-40 shots from the floor and only 2-of-14 from the arc as Coach Shane Smith and Company had to settle for second place honors for the second-consecutive season.

Cumberland forced 16 WSS turnovers and outscored the Hatchets 44-21 during the second and third quarters.

The victory improved the Pirates to 5-5 on the season while Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg sits at 6-5.

Cumberland was just the number four seed in the event but took down top-seed Hillsboro in the semifinals before the big effort on Saturday night.

“The second half was definitely the best half we have played this year,” said Coach Roedl. “We had some mishaps in the first half on our transition defense and defensive rebounding but the second half we cleaned those things up.”

Six-seven junior forward Zack Harmon only scored six-points but hauled down 13-rebounds, which led the Pirates to a 30-20 edge on the glass.

Six-foot sophomore guard Cameron Roedl scored 11-points as this young back-court duo continues to improve.

“The two of them (Stewart and Roedl) I've been coaching them since they were in kindergarten,” said Coach Roedl about his son and Cameron. “They have been together forever and the biggest thing about those two is for them to get bigger and stronger.”

Senior Kelby Bierman added eight-points for the Pirates and junior guard Reed Miller added seven-points for the balanced Cumberland club.

The bench came through with a couple of big baskets in the third quarter as junior guard Kade McMechan came off the pine and hit a big 3-pointer during a 12-3 run that closed the third quarter as his team led 49-28.

Sophomore Isaac Venatta added a basket during the third period as the Pirates outgunned WSS 21-11.

Kaleb Bierman added a free throw in the first quarter as eight different players scored for Coach Roedl.

Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg was led by 6-1 junior Aiden Sayers with 13-points.

Tournament Most Valuable Player senior Jackson Gurgel added 10-points for WSS.

Coach Smith received help from sophomore Brody Bible and junior Tyler Vonderheide with six-points apiece.

After a quick 8-0 run to begin the game by Cumberland, the Hatchets rallied for a 10-9 lead at the end of one.

(CONTINUED)

Gurgel converted a transition basket and Sayers scored on a nice cut to the goal.

A tip-in by Bible beat the horn to give WSS a one-point lead.

Stewart started the contest with back-to-back 3-pointers and began the second quarter with another long-range shot.

After the two clubs exchanged points, Cumberland broke the game's final tie (14-14) with an 18-6 finish in the final 4:57 of the half.

Stewart nailed down consecutive 3-pointers, both from the right wing and Miller also added a nice drive to the basket as the Pirates took a 26-17 lead.

Stewart closed his 12-point quarter with his fourth three-point bomb of the frame and Roedl closed the half with a 20-footer from the left corner for a 32-20 halftime lead.

During the second quarter debacle, Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg hit just 1-of-15 shots from the floor.

Had they not gotten to the free throw line (8-of-10) the deficit would have been considerably worse.

“We responded well tonight,” said Coach Roedl about his team giving up the early lead. “The kids are starting to show a little bit of resiliency when things do go bad for us. They're finding ways to right the ship.”

What little doubt about the outcome that was left ended quickly in the third quarter.

Cumberland forced five WSS turnovers and stayed hot from outside.

With Miller, McMechan and Stewart dialing up long-distance, and the Pirates combining to hit 5-of-7 shots inside the arc during the quarter, Cumberland led 53-31 heading to the final quarter.

“We talked at halftime about our transition defense and we stopped them (WSS) and that made all the difference,” said Coach Roedl. “We're a deep team and we're a strong team. We have kids that can come in and out. We have a solid group. It's fun to watch.”

Stewart's final trey, from the left corner, closed his night of scoring with Roedl following up with another drive to the basket for points.

Cumberland hit 4-of-6 free throws in the quarter and the coaches' emptied the benches in the final minutes.

The Pirates were consistent, hitting 11-of-25 from both inside and outside, 22-of-50 overall.

When they did miss shots, Coach Roedl's club grabbed half of their 30-rebounds on the offensive end.

Cumberland committed just five turnovers in the second half, only one during the decisive third quarter.

An 18-of-22 showing from the foul line was one of the few highlights for WSS.

Cumberland hit 9-of-12 from the stripe.

Both teams head into holiday tournament play next week.

Cumberland is part of the Vandalia Holiday Tournament and will open with two games on Thursday against Flora and the host Vandals.

The Hatchets head to the Kansas Tri-County event where they will play both Paris and the host Titans on the first day.

“This (St. Elmo) is a tough tournament to win and these guys have a lot to be proud of,” said Coach Roedl.

HILLSBORO 63, SEB 50
Head coach Corbin Govaia continues to get a big effort every night by Nathan Matoush.

Matoush put together another big performance on Saturday night in the third place game of the St. Elmo Holiday Tournament.

The 6-3 senior lefty put together another quality start, leading the Hiltoppers with 23-points and 12-rebounds as Hillsboro finished third with a big win over the host Eagles.

His rebounding effort helped Hillsboro to a 31-22 edge on the boards and the defensive work forced St. Elmo/Brownstown into six second quarter turnovers, 14 overall, as they improved the season record to 6-6.

Five-nine junior guard Tony White added 15-point to the victorious total, including a pair of 3-pointers during a second quarter run that turned a close game into a 30-20 halftime lead.

The balance scoring of nine-points from junior Mark Mattson, eight-points from senior Jackson Tuetken and seven-points from sophomore Ryder Dettman helped give the Hiltoppers the win.

St. Elmo/Brownstown (6-6) placed two players in double-digits with sophomore Graidon Wilhour scoring 17-points to top the Eagles.

Lowell Wilhour, a 5-10 senior, tossed in 15 for Coach Greg Feezel as the defending champions of the event had to settle for fourth.

The Eagles got five-points each from senior center Trenten Monnet and senior guard Vadin Plum.

Matoush netted six of his points, all on the inside, in the opening quarter.

But St. Elmo/Brownstown had its best run early.

Lowell Wilhour converted a conventional three-point play and also scored on another drive in down the baseline while Graidon hit a 3-pointer in the early goings as the Eagles led 14-9 at the end of the first.

But very little went right for the hosts in the second quarter.

Not only did they have the six-turnovers, the Eagles hit just 3-of-11 shots compared to 8-of-12 for Hillsboro.

Four of the made shots were 3-pointers from White, who hit a pair in the quarter, Tuetken and Dettman hit one each.

The final one by White, a shot from the right corner, made it 30-20 at intermission.

A fast break score from by Tuetken on a pass from Mattson was part of an early run that got the Hiltoppers to their largest lead.

Matoush scored 11-points in the third, and he could have padded his stats even more but the senior only hit 3-of-9 free throws in the game.

His rebound bucket with 1:24 left in the quarter pushed the Hillsboro lead to 47-27.

St. Elmo/Brownstown outscored Hillsboro 18-12 in the final minutes to make the final score more respectable.

The Eagles were just 18-of-43 from the floor overall, 5-of-11 from the 3-point line, while Hillsboro connect on 25-of-53 overall, 6-of-16 deep.

Hillsboro will play at the Carlinville Holiday Tournament next week as they will play the host Cavaliers at 7:30 pm Thursday night.

The Eagles have the Christmas break off until a January 3rd when the host Okaw Valley.

Coach Tanner Thompson got 19-points from senior Wyatt Rueff, which the 6-4 forward hit 7-of-8 free throws, 5-of-6 in the fourth quarter as his team improved to 4-7 overall as they head into the Dieterich Holiday Tournament next week.

Senior guard Kaidyn Calame added eight-points while sophomore Remington Howell scored five.

Coach Thompson had two other players, junior August Cosart and sophomore Griffin Vaughn, added four-points apiece.

The Aces and head coach Samuel Barber were led by junior guard Jackson Icenogle with 17-points and senior guard Logan Bauer added 11.

Coach Joe Eddy, who missed a couple games because of illness, was back on the bench as his club responded with a 59-point first half to lead by 40-points at the break.

All 12 of the Warriors who suited up played and scored as they led 79-25 at the end of three quarters of play.

Four of the Patoka/Odin players scored in double-figures in the win that improved the squad to 3-6 on the season.

Six-three sophomore Brady Cain led the way with 17-points while 6-1 senior Tyler Huffman added 13.

Senior Landon Robb and junior Lincoln Roberts added 10.

Junior Easton Johnson score nine-points for the Warriors.

Ramsey (1-11) allowed 242-points in three games this week.

Coach Jeff Babbs had just one players (Aaron Trexler) scored double-digits with 10-points for the Rams.

Junior Cooper Tedrick added seven-points for Ramsey.