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EHT: 'Dogs secure fifth place finish at EHT

Harrisburg claimed its first-ever fifth place finish at the Eldorado Holiday Tournament with a 53-50 win over Edwards County Wednesday night.

“This is a pride game, it’s the second game of the day, and I thought our guys came out, and I was really proud of the energy they used and the thought process we had tonight,” said Harrisburg coach Randy Smithpeters who earned career victory No. 450 in the process. “This was one of our best games as far as knowing where to be, what to do, helping each other and making good decisions.”

Senior Noah Ferrell had 20 points, including five 3-pointers for the Bulldogs (6-5). Junior Isaiah Saulsberry scored 15 second half points for HHS.

The Bulldogs trailed 21-20 at halftime, but pulled in front 36-33 entering the fourth.

“We gave up 21 points in the first half, and Edwards County is a good team, so that is a good half,” said Smithpeters.

Harrisburg led by as many as eight in the fourth quarter, but had to secure the win from the charity stripe by converting on 6-of-7 in the final quarter.

The win means Harrisburg finished as winners of three of its four contests at Duff-Kingston Gym.

“There is just a tremendous difference in 2-2 and 3-1,” said Smithpeters. “That was part of the motivation for these guys.”

Edwards County (9-3) had beaten Black Diamond Conference rival Fairfield, 66-56, in a fifth place semifinal Wednesday morning.

Harrisburg got by Anna-Jonesboro, 62-60, in overtime in the fifth place semifinals earlier on Wednesday.

Hunter Smith hit two free throws in the final seconds to help the Bulldogs earn the first win of the day.

Anna-Jonesboro’s Sheldon McGrath missed two free throws with 0.5 seconds remaining in regulation which would’ve broken a tie.

Jacob Zimmerman connected on five 3-pointers to finish with 15 points, while Jake Parr added 13 points for Wildcats (5-9).

Saulsberry scored 19 for HHS in the win over A-J. Ferrell added 15 points. Jordan Bartok scored nine before fouling out, while Smith and junior Dalton Lambert added six points each. Lambert left the game in overtime with a knee injury.

Before this year’s EHT, Harrisburg had reached the championship game in seven straight seasons.

Harrisburg will return to action Jan. 6 at Murphysboro.

Edwards County 5 16 12 17-50

Harrisburg 10 10 16 17-53

Edwards County (50): M. Schmittler 0 1-2 1, N. Schmittler 9 4-6 22, Schnicker 3 1-2 7, Brake 2 1-1 5, Wallace 5 0-0 11, Rivers 1 2-2 4. Totals 20 9-13 50.

Harrisburg (53): Saulsberry 5 4-5 15, Gould 3 1-2 7, Ferrell 6 3-4 20, Smith 2 0-0 4, Bartok 2 0-0 4, Burtis 1 0-0 3. Totals 19 8-11 53.

3-pointers: Edwards County 1 (Wallace), Harrisburg 7 (Ferrell 5, Saulsberry, Burtis). Team fouls: Edwards County 14, Harrisburg 13. Records: Edwards County is 9-3, Harrisburg is 6-5.

5th place semifinals

Harrisburg 62 Anna-Jonesboro 60 (OT)

Harrisburg 14 14 15 11 8-62

Anna-Jonesboro 6 19 17 12 6-60

Harrisburg (62): Saulsberry 6 4-7 19, Smith 2 2-2 6, Ferrell 5 2-2 15, Gould 1 0-0 2, Bartok 2 5-5 9, Burtis 2 0-0 5, Lambert 3 0-0 6. Totals 22 13-16 62.

Anna-Jonesboro (60): McGrath 4 0-3 9, Zimmerman 5 0-0 15, Parr 4 5-5 13, Sawyer 2 2-2 6, Markovic 1 0-0 2, Reynolds 3 2-2 5, Pinnon 1 1-2 4, Pena 2 0-0 6. Totals 24 10-14 60.

3-pointers: Harrisburg 7 (Saulsberry 3, Ferrell 3, Burtis), Anna-Jonesboro 10 (Zimmerman 5, Pena 2, McGrath, Reynolds, Pinnon). Team fouls: Harrisburg 19, Anna-Jonesboro 18. Fouled out: Gould, Bartok, Markovic.

Edwards County 66 Fairfield 56

Edwards County (66): Schnicker 2 10-10 15, Brake 1 5-5 7, Wallace 7 5-8 23, M. Schmittler 1 0-0 2, N. Schmittler 6 7-12 19, Clodfelter 0 0-1 0, Rivers 0 0-2 0. Totals 17 27-38 66.

Fairfield (56): McGill 4 2-3 12, Snyder 4 4-4 14, Lewis 5 1-2 11, Dagg 1 1-2 3, Vaughan 3 0-0 8, Smothers 1 0-0 3, McGaha 1 0-0 3, Cantrell 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 8-11 56.

3-pointers: Edwards County 5 (Wallace 4, Schnicker), Fairfield 8 (McGill 2, Snyder 2, Vaughan 2, Smothers, McGaha). Team fouls: Edwards County 12, Fairfield 28. Fouled out: none.