EDINBURGH, Ind. – The Hagerstown boys basketball team won the championship of the Edinburgh Tournament on Wednesday with a 51-46 win over South Decatur.
“We probably had the best record going into the tournament,” Hagerstown Head Coach Bobby Jones said. “I just felt like we had a huge bulls eye on our back. It really showed with the way the other teams were playing against us. ”
“In spurts in all three games, we didn’t play real well,” Jones added. “It just seemed like when we needed to get stops, when we needed to get scores, the kids buckled down and got the job done.”
Jared Andis scored 11 of his team-high 19 points in the fourth quarter as the Tigers erased a 34-32 deficit from the end of the third period.
“We talked about putting ourselves in position to win a championship,” Jones said. “We’ve been there an awful lot, but we’ve just never been able to get over the hump.”
“Going into the championship game, I really felt like our kids were focused,” Jones continued. “They were ready to take that next step and win a championship. Our kids played their butts off. For three quarters, our defense was the best I’ve seen so far this season.”
Jalen Oliver finished with 15 points with six coming in the final frame. Evan Hoover was next with nine points against the Cougars (6-4).
The Tigers (9-1) face Lincoln on the second day of the Wayne County Tournament in Hagerstown on Friday, Jan. 6.
Box Score
HAGERSTOWN (9-1) – Jared Andis 7 0-0 19, Isaiah Neal 0 1-2 1, Evan Hoover 4 1-2 9, Jalen Oliver 7 1-1 15, Trent Weiss 1 0-0 2, Trey Kelley 1 1-2 3, Mason Hicks 0 0-0 0, Silas Parsons 0 0-0 0, Matt Parson 0 2-2 2. Team – 20 6-9 51.
SOUTH DECATUR (6-4) – Seegers 3 0-0 7, Nick Benge 0 3-4 3, Bellingsley 4 0-0 12, Cornett 9 4-8 22, Nathan Benge 1 0-0 2. Team – 17 7-12 46.
Hagerstown 9 21 32 51
South Decatur 7 19 34 46
3-pointers – Hagerstown 5 (Andis 5), SouthDecatur 5 (Bellingsley 4, Seegers). Fouls – Hagerstown 14, South Decatur 12. Fouled out – None.