The Festus Tigers Boys Basketball team had an excellent week, knocking off Seckman and North County to take on Park Hills Central in the annual Gene Steighorst Invitational in Hillsboro, but they fell in the Finals to a very talented Rebels team. Still, the Tigers improved to 4-1 on the young season.
The first game against Seckman was a barnburner. The Tigers opened up with 17 points in the first quarter and held the Jaguars to just 11. They continued their first half dominance in the second frame by mirroring their earlier total and keeping Seckman to 13. That gave Festus a 34-24 advantage as everyone headed to the locker room.
Seckman would tighten things up after the break though, as they exploded for 23 in the third quarter. Thankfully, the Tigers responded with 20, but it made for an interesting fourth. In the final period Festus leaned on Hayden Bates (6 pts) and Logan Cash (9 pts) to put up 28 as a team and fend off the surging Jags who had 27 in their last ditch effort. The Tigers held on though for the 82-74 victory.
Cash and Carter Roth tied for the team lead in scoring with 19 points apiece, and Arhmad Branch was nipping at their heels with 18. Bates had 14 of his own and the Tigers hit seven three-pointers as a team.
The next test would be against North County in the Semifinals of the tournament. The hot start theme in the first half would continue, as the Tigers outscored the Raiders 18-14 in the first quarter before dominating in the second with a 20-12 margin. That gave Festus a comfortable 38-26 at the halftime buzzer.
The Raiders would respond after the break though, as they flipped the second quarter score and outgunned Festus 20-12 in the third. They continued to cut into the lead in the final quarter with another 14 points, but the Tigers managed 13 with some big free throws at the line from Roth and Branch. It got a bit hairy at the end, but Festus hung on for the 63-60 win.
Cash led the way again with nine buckets for 18 points, and was chased once again by Branch who had 17. Bates was the only other player in double digits with his 12-point effort.
That win set the stage for the Finals against a very tough Central squad. The Tigers beat the Rebels in the first game of the regular season, but this Park Hills bunch was looking for revenge. They took charge in the first with an 18-13 lead and added to it slightly in the second with a 16-14 advantage. That led to a 34-27 halftime score, highlighted by 12 points from the Rebels’ Jobe Bryant.
Festus used a big third quarter performance by Branch, where he was responsible for 10 of the team’s 13 points, to try and trim the lead, but the Rebels had 19 in them to extend their advantage. The final frame was short on drama though, with both teams combining for just 15 on the scoreboard. Unfortunately for Festus, 10 of those were on the Central side of the ledger. The Rebels held on to win 63-45 and take home the tournament trophy.
Branch was the standout in this one, leading the Tigers with 18 points, but unfortunately no other Festus player managed double figures. Bates and Roth came close with nine each.
It was a tough loss for Festus, falling to a team they had previously beaten, but the season is still in its infancy and there is plenty of time to make up for this one. Their next challenge comes in the form of the Windsor Owls on Tuesday at 7pm, and they’ll have the luxury of playing at home to try and move to 5-0.
