Tournament host Macomb entered the 3rd Place game as a theoretical underdog, having been awarded the 4th seed and facing Peoria Christian, who had received the 2nd seed. The game started very close, with the Chargers of Peoria Christian leaving the first quarter with a 13-12 lead over the Bombers. If someone had asked if the Chargers would only score 15 points the remainder of the game, you wouldn’t have believed them. But Macomb put the clamps down and played stellar defense the rest of the way to earn a victory by a score of 43-28.
Macomb’s leading scorer was Braden Holthaus, who finished with 18 points. Drew Watson finished with 7 points and Malachi Conley added six points. Conley and Nolan Hoge each finished with a team-high six rebounds. Watson’s five assists and Holthaus’s four steals led both teams. The Bombers outrebounded the Chargers 35-25. Macomb feasted down in the zone, where they won the points in the paint by a score of 22-8.
Peoria Christian was led in scoring by Malachi Persinger’s nine points. Gavin Walder had seven points and Trae Brickner added six points of his own. Josh Walton led both teams with nine rebounds. After averaging 62 points per game in their tournament games before this game, the Chargers scored just 28. Playing four games in three days is very exhausting, especially for a newcomer to the Macomb-Western Holiday Tournament.
Macomb (11-3) takes home the 3rd Place hardware, their 37th in the history of the tournament. Peoria Christian (12-5) earns the 4th Place trophy in their impressive tournament debut.
Box Score
Macomb Info
Peoria Christian Info
Chris Derry
December 28, 2024