The tournament waited until Game 24 of the final session to see the first overtime game this year. Illini West’s Ethan Carlisle drained a buzzer-beater three to tie the game at 51 and send it into the extra period. The Chargers capitalized on the new life and used it to earn a 60-55 victory over the Eureka Hornets. This also turned out to be the most fundamentally sound game in the tournament, as both teams combined for a miniscule 11 turnovers and 28 assists on a combined 37 field goals. And to continue the theme, the teams combined to shoot 23/28 from the free throw line.
Illini West had four players score in double figures: Wesley Robertson (16 points), Tre Neiderman (13 points), Ethan Carlisle (13 points), and Stephen Sparks (12 points). Sparks had a game-high eight rebounds and buzzer-beater hero Carlisle led his team with four assists. The Chargers only led this game for a total of 3 minutes and 51 seconds…but they held the lead when it counted.
Eureka’s Hornets was led in scoring by Cooper Peterson, who had 16 points on 6/10 shooting. Connell Roth also finished in double-figures with 12 points. Teagan McLaughlin continued his good tournament with seven points and a team-high five rebounds. Cooper Peterson had a team-high five assists.
Illini West (11-4) earns the 5th Place trophy, their first tournament hardware since 2014. Eureka (6-7) takes the tough loss, but should take solace in advancing to a trophy game for the fourth consecutive tournament.
Box Score
Illini West Info
Eureka Info
Chris Derry
December 28, 2024