The Irving College Tigers made an early claim as the Warren County Elementary League’s best, while the Morrison Eagles opened up their season with a win Thursday night in the 3-pt Club preseason boys tournament.
The Tigers moved into the tournament finals with an impressive 38-24 win over the Warren County Middle School Pioneers, and the Eagles drilled the Boyd Broncos 33-10 behind a big night from Rylan Sliger.
Irving College was able to handle the Pioneer press, which posed a problem for Dibrell two nights before.
The ball handling of Tyler Pomales and Chance Hobbs gave Irving College a chance to avoid turnovers and Jeffrey McCormick became the main beneficiary.
Pomales and Hobbs beat the press with regularity in the first half and the Tigers’ big post just waited under the goal for passes.
McCormick was able to connect for seven points in the first half, while Pomales added a 3-pointer, to make give the Tigers a 16-10 lead at halftime.
Lucas Patrick took over in the second half as the Tigers ran away for a win. Patrick scored eight of his nine points after the break as Irving College pulled away from the Pioneers.
A 10-point third quarter, led by McCormick’s four points, gave the Tigers a 26-16 advantage going into the fourth.
Patrick knocked in three straight layups against the Pioneers to keep the lead in double figures for Irving College.
Alex Steiner, who had to leave the game in the third quarter when he was hit in the face, came back to score four points for Warren County in the fourth, but the comeback bid fell far short.
McCormick scored a team-high 13 points for Irving College. Patrick was next with nine points while Pomales finished with seven. Hobbs and Luke Martin added four points and Freddie Trevino rounded out the scoring with a second-quarter free throw.
Cole Estes led the Pioneers with nine points. Bunker Brock was next with six, followed by Wesley Jennings with five and Steiner with four.
While the Tigers and Pioneers were playing for the second time in three nights, Morrison and Boyd each made their season debuts.
The Eagles were very impressive as the team got balanced scoring from four players, including a 12-point night from Sliger.
Sliger ended up outscoring the Broncos on his own, as Morrison’s defense limited Boyd to 10 points total.
The Eagles’ lockdown defense was evident from the start as Morrison took a 17-5 lead into halftime. Sliger led the way with eight points before the break, while Brayton Kelsey and Ethan Smith added four points apiece.
Sliger, Kelsey and Smith would each score two points in the third quarter as Morrison expanded its lead to 23-10 entering the fourth.
Six points from Layne Murphy in the final period helped Morrison walk away with a 23-point win Thursday.
Kelsey finished with eight points for Morrison, while Smith and Murphy had six. Caleb Newby hit a free throw in the second quarter for his only points.
Heath Kuykendall led Boyd with five points, including hitting a 3-pointer in the third quarter. Joshua Argo added three points and Garrett Gilliam added two.
The 3-pt Club tournament resumes Monday night with two boys games. The first will be Morrison matching up with Eastside at 5:15 p.m. Dibrell and Centertown will play a consolation game at 7:45 p.m. Both games will be played at Charlie Dalton Gym.