EHT: Devil Of a Time

For the better part of half a century, Harrisburg has made its presence known at the Eldorado Holiday Tournament.

Aside from being the only team in the 50-year history of the tournament to win four straight (2010 to 2013), the Bulldogs have been in the championship game for the past six seasons, including Monday night where once again Harrisburg was in search of one for the thumb.

The heavyweight fight of two of the top teams in the tournament delivered in every manner in front of a packed house at Duff-Kingston Gymnasium. The back-and-forth brawl for tournament bragging rights went down to the wire as Owensboro escaped with a 67-61 win.

Owensboro replaced Herrin in the tournament and made their one and only appearance as they will be replaced by Webster County, Ky., next year.

For Harrisburg head coach Randy Smithpeters, there was some solace in the loss, knowing that his team battled the perennial favorite down to the wire.

"One of my goals every year as a head coach is for my team to be one of the final four at the EHT," Smithpeters said. "To play in this gym, where it's standing room only and you have the excitement and the electricity. That's an experience that you may never get in your life again. Post season isn't even that way anymore with the class system, so this was a great experience and our guys deserved this. We battled good teams to get here and battled a good team tonight."

Bahari Amaya, who finished with 30 points, earned his second straight Most Valuable Player honors, becoming the first player since Norris City-Omaha-Enfield's Reed Jackson to win the award multiple times.

Jackson won the MVP three straight seasons from 1988 to 1990.

The only other player in tournament history to win the award consecutive times was Cairo's Anthony Webster in 1979 and 1980.

Harrisburg's Tyler Smithpeters won the award twice, but not in succession, winning in 2010 and again in 2012.

Bahari said the award was nice, but didn't take the sting away from the loss.

"It was a good game, but we lost," Amaya said. "I'm pleased to win it, but I'm still upset we lost."

Smithpeters praised Amaya, not for his individual accomplishments, but being able to keep his teammates active in the system.

"You can look at the points and everything else, but everything he is doing, he's doing within the system and with in our team concept, making other people better," Smithpeters said. "That's the great thing about the way he's playing right now. it's great when you get 40 points, but it's also great to get 40 points out of the offense and still keep people involved."

Harrisburg led 19-16 after one quarter and trailed 39-35 at the break. In the first half there were seven ties and 10 lead changes.

Owensboro built a 46-37 lead early in the third, before Harrisburg stormed back on the strength on buckets by Carson Batts, Blake Drue and Amaya to tie the game at 46-all.

Another late charge towards the end of the quarter, gave Harrisburg a one-point 53-52 advantage.

Harrisburg held court in the fourth until an intentional foul sent Owensboro's Justin Miller to the line where he made two free throws to give The Red Devils a one-point, 56-55 lead.

Patrick Bittle, who also made the All-Tournament Team for Harrisburg, drilled a 3-ball in the corner pocket to tie the game at 58. Owensboro's Darion Morrow responded with a three of his own to give the Red Devils the lead for good.

"To come in here and compete with a team of that caliber and play as well as we did, I consider that a victory for our effort, a victory for our preparation and a victory for these guys just battling. You have to give them a blue ribbon for that."

Harrisburg 75, Fairfield 71

Last year's Eldorado Holiday Tournament Most Valuable Player Bahari Amaya dropped in 30 points to help Harrisburg advance with a 75-71 semifinal win over Fairfield Monday afternoon at the 50th EHT.

The No. 3 seed Bulldogs (9-3) will be playing in the championship game tonight at 9 p.m. This marks the sixth straight year at Duff-Kingston Gym that the Bulldogs have advanced to the final game.

"I think it has become a mission for the Bulldog program to do well at the EHT and to play in the championship and these guys are taking that on their shoulders," said Harrisburg coach Randy Smithpeters.

Both teams put on a clinic shooting from the outside. Fairfield (7-5) drained 13 3-pointers compared to nine from HHS. The 22 combined triples set a new EHT record that had been set in 2002 by Eldorado and Egyptian.

"There was great shooting from both teams," said Smithpeters. "I thought we did what we had to do. We shot well enough also, and we knew it'd be a tough game being the semifinals of the EHT, and I'm very proud of my guys."

Fairfield led 32-30 at halftime before the Bulldogs enjoyed a 51-50 lead to start the fourth.

Fairfield's Andrew Gifford scored 28 points and Sky Kollak added 21 on seven 3-pointers. Nathaniel Lackey scored 12 for the Mules who hadn't lost since suffering a 60-52 setback to HHS on Dec. 9.

Harrisburg got 15 points from Corbin Crim-Harbison as well as a career-high 14 from Patrick Bittle.

Senior Carson Batts scored 10 for the Bulldogs.

Harrisburg 75 Fairfield 71

FF 17 15 18 21-71

HBG 19 11 21 24-75

FF(71): Kollak 7 0-0 21, Lackey 5 2-7 12, Gifford 9 6-6 28, Troyer 1 0-0 3, Land 1 0-0 2, McGill 2 0-0 5. Totals 25 8-13 71.

HBG (75): Amaya 12 1-2 30, Houston 1 0-2 2, Crim-Harbison 6 3-5 15, Batts 4 0-0 10, Bartok 0 4-6 4, Bittle 2 8-10 14. Totals 25 16-25 75.

3-pointers: FF 13 (Kollak 7, Gifford 4, Troyer, McGill); HBG 9 (Amaya 5, Batts 2, Bittle 2). Team Fouls: FF 18; HBG 18. Records: FF is 7-5; HBG is 9-3.