ST. ELMO — Championships are never given, even when the games are played on your own home floor.
The St. Elmo/Brownstown (SEB) boys basketball team knows that all too well.
In each of the last 10 St. Elmo Holiday Tournaments, the Eagles have won the mid-winter event four times since both schools merged prior to the 2013-2014 season. Over that period, Altamont has won twice, Vandalia and Mulberry Grove once and Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg (WSS) the last two years.
On Saturday, SEB tried to end the Hatchets’ quest for a third-straight championship in the 63rd edition of the St. Elmo Holiday Tournament.
The Eagles jumped out to a hot start, leading 21-10 after the first quarter.
SEB only grew its lead after that, leading 39-19 at halftime after outscoring WSS 18-9 in the second frame.
“It was a big deal,” head coach Greg Feezel said. “I thought the kids were really focused on what we needed done tonight.”
The Eagles defeated Cumberland in a semifinal the night before to get to this game. Feezel noted that his team didn’t necessarily play to their capabilities in that contest but made up for it with a strong outing in the finals.
“We were hard on them after last night’s game; I don’t think they were satisfied with how they played and I wasn’t satisfied, so we came in and had a little heart-to-heart today and lined out things,” Feezel said. “We were just a little bit hard on ourselves, so we decided that we needed to just come in here and relax.”
That mindset showed and it only carried after halftime.
SEB led 61-35 heading into the final frame after outscoring the Hatchets 22-16 in the third.
That comfortable margin allowed Feezel to give his starters a break toward the end of the fourth and use his bench for the closing moments of their 73-48 victory and first holiday crown since 2019.
The win pushed the Eagles to 10-1 on the year.
Brody Mason and Josiah Maxey each led SEB with 16 points.
Mason shot 7-of-9 from the floor with two rebounds and one steal.
“He knew he had a rough night last night and was down on himself, but I said, ‘Your day’s coming,’ and look what happened tonight,” Feezel said. “Once he hit some shots, his defense came alive and he was a different animal.”
Maxey shot 7-of-8 with two rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Cade Schaub added 14 points on 5-of-6 with seven rebounds, one steal, two blocks and two assists. Adam Atwood had 12 points on 5-of-10 with 11 rebounds, four steals, one block and two assists.
Collin Maxey had 12 points on 5-of-10 with six rebounds, one steal, one block and two assists.
“He’s pretty calm about things,” Feezel said. “He can get pretty excited, but he’s pretty even-keel.”
Victor Plum was the final Eagle to record points, finishing with three on 1-of-1.
As for the Hatchets (4-7), Jackson Gurgel led with 22 points.
Nathaniel Gracey had nine points. Conor Manhart had eight. Blayzz Verdeyen had three. Aiden Sayers and Colten Bridges each had two and Tyler Vonderheide and Brody Hendrickson each had one.
“You can’t spot a team a lead and then try to battle back. We had opportunities and we missed quite a few easy layups early on that could have narrowed things down and kept them where they needed to be,” head coach Shane Smith said.
Toledo (Cumberland) 53, Hillsboro 46
The Cumberland Pirates defeated Hillsboro, 53-46, in the third-place game.
Kelby Bierman led Cumberland (5-5) with 13 points.
Blake McMechan had 11 points. Cameron Roedl had 10. Zack Harmon had seven. Kaleb Bierman had six. Zack Buescher had four and Isaac Venatta had two.
Patoka/Odin 56, Beecher City/ Cowden-Herrick 54
The Beecher City/Cowden-Herrick Bobcats fell to Patoka/Odin, 56-54, in the fifth-place game.
Clayton Wojcik led Beecher City (5-6) with 21 points.
Gage Lorton had 17 points. Kaidyn Calame had nine. Wyatt Rueff had four. AJ Radloff had two and Clive Schlanser had one.
St. Elmo/Brownstown 50, Toledo (Cumberland) 36
The St. Elmo/Brownstown Eagles defeated the Cumberland Pirates, 50-36, in a semifinal.
Wilhour led SEB (9-1) with 18 points (5-of-7), three rebounds, two steals, one block and two assists.
Collin Maxey had 14 points (4-of-13), six rebounds and one block. Schaub had seven points (3-of-8), four rebounds, two steals, two blocks and four assists. Atwood had six points (2-of-5), eight rebounds, one steal and three assists and Josiah Maxey had five points (1-of-2), one rebound, five steals and three assists.
As for Cumberland (4-5), Zack Harmon led with 15 points.
Blake McMechan had 10 points. Roedl had four. Kaleb Bierman had three and Kelby Bierman and Venatta each had two.
Beecher City/Cowden-Herrick 66, Mulberry Grove 38The Beecher City/Cowden-Herrick Bobcats defeated Mulberry Grove, 66-38, in a consolation semifinal.
Radloff led Beecher (5-5) with 22 points.
Wojcik had 17 points. Lorton had 11. Rueff had six and Carson Evans and Calame each had five.
Stewardson-Strasburg/Windsor 72, Hillsboro 67
The Stewardson-Strasburg/Windsor Hatchets defeated Hillsboro, 72-67, in a semifinal.
Gurgel led Stewardson-Strasburg (4-6) with 26 points.
Manhart had 23 points. Verdeyen had 10. Gracey had eight and Hendrickson had five.
St. Elmo/Brownstown 73, Mulberry Grove 39
The St. Elmo/Brownstown Eagles defeated Mulberry Grove, 73-39, in the first round. Atwood led St. Elmo (8-1) with 14 points (5-of-13), 15 rebounds, one steal and two assists.
Josiah Maxey had 12 points (5-of-7), eight rebounds, seven steals and three assists. Wilhour had 10 points (2-of-4), two rebounds, two steals and two assists. Collin Maxey had 10 points (5-of-10), three rebounds, one steal, one block and one assist. Schaub had nine points (4-of-12), six rebounds, two steals, one block and five assists. Mason had eight points (3-of-7), one rebound and two assists. Plum had four points (2-of-4) and two rebounds. Cameron Taylor had three points (1-of-2) and one rebound and Ryan Powell had three points (1-of-1).
Toledo (Cumberland) 32, Beecher City/Cowden-Herrick 28
The Cumberland Pirates defeated the Beecher City/Cowden-Herrick Bobcats, 32-28, in the first round.
Kelby Bierman led Cumberland (4-4) with 10 points.
Blake McMechan had seven points. Kaleb Bierman had five. Kade McMechan and Harmon each had three. Buescher had two and Roedl and Venatta each had one.
As for Beecher City (4-5), Wojcik led with eight points.
Calame had six points. Lorton had five. Radloff had four. Rueff had three and Evans had two.