The Macomb Bombers defeated the Tornadoes of Abingdon-Avon by a score of 37-31 in Game 15 of the tournament. Macomb had scored 78 points in the first round in a win over Brown County, but this game was neither a blowout or high-scoring. In fact, A-Town had a 15-11 lead going into halftime. Macomb stormed out of the gate in the 3rd quarter, scoring the first nine points of the half. Things tightened and it was a 22-22 tie score with 31 seconds left in the 3rd quarter. Macomb then took the lead and held it until the buzzer. A-Town played a defense-minded game and held the hosts in check for a lot of this one.
Macomb had two players score double-digits: Dion Doyle (12 points) and Braden Holthaus (10 points). Doyle also had a team-high seven rebounds. Holthaus led both teams with five assists. After shooting just 27.8% from the field in the first half, the Bombers shot 56.3% in the second half, which allowed them to climb back and hold on.
The Tornadoes were led in scoring by Kellen Hook’s eight points. Jacob Hall added seven points off the bench. Asa Stegall had three blocks, which led the game. Abingdon-Avon didn’t turn the ball over much (just eight), but only shot 30% from the floor for the game (including 18.2% from beyond the three-point line).
Macomb advances to the semifinals where they will play the winner of Camp Point Central and Monmouth-Roseville. They will play in Game 22, at 2:30 on Saturday afternoon. A-Town falls to the 5th place bracket where they will play the loser of that same Central/Monmouth-Roseville game. Their contest is Game 20, Saturday morning at 10:30am.
Box Score
Abingdon-Avon Info
Macomb Info
Chris Derry
December 29, 2023