Eagles fall to Altamont in title game of St. Elmo Holiday Tournament

ST. ELMO – The Eagles executed their game plan as they wanted in Saturday’s championship game of the St. Elmo Holiday Tournament.

But so did Altamont, and the Indians made more shots.

Altamont won its fifth title in the past seven years, scoring with remarkable consistency in a 72-49 win against St. Elmo/Brownstown.

“They shot 55 percent from the field for the game, so what are you going to do?” said Eagles coach Greg Feezel. “We did what we wanted to do, and we ran basically five horses (starters) all night long.

“Our kids, even at the end of the ballgame before I subbed, were fighting as hard as they were in the first (quarter).”

Altamont, which has appeared in nine straight championship games, missed just six shots in the second period, scoring 25 points to turn a one-point deficit into a 10-point halftime lead.

Ten of the 11 players on Altamont’s roster scored, with senior and tournament Most Valuable Player Garrett Ziegler scoring a game-high 20, and reservist Ryan Armstrong adding 14. Both hit a pair of 3-pointers.

The Maxey brothers led SEB (5-3), with senior Levi posting 17 points, and sophomore Malachi adding 16.

Freshman Landon Feezel added eight points and six rebounds.

In that second quarter, it wasn’t that the Eagles weren’t scoring, as they put in 14 points. Included was a 10-for-10 mark on free throws as the Indians battled foul trouble.

The four turnovers SEB committed in that period proved costly, however, with the Indians scoring on each of them to get an extra 10 points.

SEB was outscored 31-18 in the second half, as the Indians (6-0) reached the 70-point plateau for the sixth time this season.

“I’m not as disappointed about this as I was after the first game when we won,” Feezel said, comparing the game to a close 54-45 win against Mulberry Grove last Tuesday. “We learned how to play with a physical team.  We kept going and going, and never did back off.”

It marked the fourth straight championship game between the two schools and the 10th overall. Altamont is the all-time leader in tournament titles, with 12, eight of which have come since 2000.

Box score
Saturday, Dec. 21
Altamont 72
SEB 49
S: 17-14-9-9—49
A: 16-25-14-17—72
Eagles
Points: L. Maxey, 17; M. Maxey, 16; Feezel, 8; Jacob Behrends, 5; Cole Smithson, 3.
Rebounds: Feezel, 6; Smithson, 6; L. Maxey, 3; Nick Bauer, 1; Behrends, 1; Curt Frailey, 1.
Assists: Behrends, 2; Bauer, 1; L. Maxey, 1.
Steals: L. Maxey, 3; Behrends, 2; M. Maxey, 1.
Block: L. Maxey, 1.
Record: 5-3
Indians
Points: Ziegler, 20; Armstrong, 14; Seidel, 10; Jahraus, 8; Wolff, 8; Jackman, 3; McGinnis, 3; Borders, 2; A. Goeckner, 2; J. Goeckner, 2.
Record: 6-0