Notebook: Holiday Hoops Tournament
The Holiday Hoops Tournament is always a must stop during the Christmas break with tons of teams playing games up in Huntington and Columbia City. They usually have some top teams from around the state and this year they have Hamilton Southeastern, Scecina, and Merrillville along with a bunch of teams with some good young players. Here is our breakdown from the final day at the Holiday Hoops Tournament.
Norwell 60, Whitko 53
Whitko got out to an early lead and all game long they kept hitting threes. Between River West and Brian Collins, they kept Norwell at a distance. However, Norwell never got too far away and kept making plays and getting more efficient with their post scoring. With just a minute left, Norwell took the lead on a turnover. Whitko had a chance to get a tie but turned the ball over again and Will Geiger made them pay form the free throw line as he went 4/4 in the final minute to seal the win.
Top Performers:
River West (W): 18 points
Brian Collins (W): 18 points
Will Geiger (N): 32 points
Brandon Nicholson (N): 12 points
Merrillville 51, Columbia City 36
In the beginning of the game, Columbia City was showing they might be able to deal with the Merrillville length and press because when they got into the half court, they were fairly effective. However, as the game wore on Merrillville got more and more aggressive and Columbia City struggled to keep pace. Led by Jaylon Holmes and Johnny Bernard, Merrillville was able to move onto the next round for the 3rd place game against Indianapolis Scecina.
Top Performers:
Mitchell Wilson (CC): 15 points
Max Bedwell (CC): 9 points
Johnny Bernard (M): 16 points
Richard Balkcom (M): 12 points
Hamilton Southeastern 45, Huntington North 44
This was a battle all game long as HSE and Huntington North kept going back and forth at each other for the whole game. North’s length and size caused some problems early on for HSE as they were able to finish in the middle and interior of the floor. However, Hamilton Southeastern stayed close enough and at the end of the game they were able to press enough and get a couple key turnovers late to take a slight edge and hold on for a well fought victory.
Top Performers:
Noah Smith (HSE): 11 points
Aaron Etherington (HSE): 9 points
Sawyer Stoltz (HN): 11 points
Mitchell Geller (HN): 11 points