2025 Game 1 Recap: Mercer County 62, Liberty 55
In the debut game of the 2025 Macomb-Western Holiday Tournament, Mercer County won the “Battle of the Eagles” as their Golden Eagles defeated the Eagles from Liberty by a score of 62 to 55. It’s always tough to play in the “coffee and donuts game” at 9:00am, as turnovers were the story for a majority of the introductory quarter. But after getting their footing, Mercer County stormed ahead to lead at the break by a score of 31-16. The teams went back and forth, but despite outscoring MerCo by 39-31 in the second half, Liberty was ultimately unable to recover from the early deficit.
Mercer County was led in scoring by Brady McPeek and Spencer Andresen, each finishing with 18 points. McPeek shot 7-for-13 from the floor, while Andresen shot an outstanding 8-for-9. Brady McPeek also tied the team for the lead in rebounds with seven, sharing that honor with Lucas Marston. Andresen added six rebounds of his own. Tobey Finley dished out a game-high five assists. The Golden Eagles shot the lights out in this one, going 26-for-42 (61.9%) for field goals, including 5-for-9 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Liberty was led in points by Reed Sparrow’s 22 points, a game high. Gavin Edgar (12) and Vince Cramsley (11) also finished in double figures. Edgar also led the Eagles with six rebounds. Sparrow’s game-high six steals showcased the early morning turnover jitters that the teams experienced.
Mercer County (7-2) advances to a second-round matchup in Game 13 (Monday, 4:00pm) where they will meet the winner of West Hancock and Farmington. Liberty (8-2) falls to the consolation bracket, where they will play in Game 9 (Monday, 9:00am) and will face the loser of the West Hancock/Farmington matchup.
Box Score
Mercer County Info
Liberty Info
Chris Derry
December 27, 2025
2025 Game 2 Recap: West Hancock 43, Farmington 39
Cooper Knowles’s 29 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks led West Hancock’s Titans to a narrow victory over the Farmers of Farmington by a score of 43-39. In a game that was closer than most in the crowd expected for an opener for the tournament’s top seed, West Hancock held off a charging, hungry Farmington team that was eager to play spoiler. The Titans’s largest lead was 12 points early in the second half, but Farmington went on a nine-point run in the 3rd quarter, winning the third frame 19-14 and pulling within 3 points going into the 4th and final quarter. Poor shooting was the story in this game, as the teams combined to shoot just 29-for-87 (33%).
As mentioned, West Hancock (7-3) was led in scoring, rebounds, and blocks by Cooper Knowles, however he was matched for the team-high in rebounds with Hunter Froman’s nine boards. Froman was also the only other player in double digit scoring, finishing with 10 points. Braden Hurt led the Titans with five assists. West Hancock shot just 3-for-20 from behind the 3-point arc, however, and will look to improve on their shooting discipline for their second round matchup on Monday.
Farmington (1-7) tried to shock the gym on Saturday morning and nearly succeeded. They forced West Hancock into 13 turnovers, swiped nine steals, played stifling defense, and caused this webmaster to look through the tournament records late in the game for the last time a #1 seed lost in the opening round. (I could not find any reference of this occurring since the tournament started seeding the top teams in the event). Boston Smith led the team with 16 points, highlighted by 4-for-5 from 3-pointers. Smith and Kaydon Bollinger each tied with a team-high seven rebounds and Landon Crawford’s two assists led a Farmers team who only finished with six total.
West Hancock, sporting a few extra gray hairs, will meet Mercer County in Game 13 (Monday, 4:00pm). Farmington falls to the consolation bracket, where they will meet a tough Liberty team in Game 9 (Monday, 9:00am).
Box Score
West Hancock Info
Farmington Info
Chris Derry
December 27, 2025
2025 Game 3 Recap: Eureka 47, Camp Point Central 45
A buzzer beater layup by Jake Blunier lifted the #4 seed Eureka Hornets over the Panthers of Camp Point Central by a score of 47-45 in Game 3. Down one point by a score of 45-44, Central’s Luke Ippensen was fouled on a layup attempt with 25.8 seconds left and the ball rolled around the rim and fell off, very narrowly missing a basket-and-1 opportunity. Ippensen would sink one of two free throws to tie the score 45-45. Eureka brought the ball down the floor, passed around the arc, and finally Grant Roberts would drive the basket and dump a fantastic pass to Blunier. Blunier would miss the short layup but would rebound his own miss and sink the putback to seal the victory with no time remaining. Central led 21 minutes of this game and took a narrow 23-22 lead into the intermission, but the Hornets would edge the Panthers in the second half by a score of 25-22.
Eureka’s Hornets were led by a duo of double-digit scorers in Jack Blunier (13 points) and Jacob Schultz (12 points). Teagan McLaughln would add nine points and Grant Roberts would include another eight. Schultz would secure a game-high seven rebounds and Blunier would lead the team with two assists and four blocks.
Central led the game in several control aspects, including points in the paint (34 to 28), turnovers (just eight to Eureka’s 15), and fast break points (10 to 8). The Panthers were paced by Luke Ippensen’s 19 points and six rebounds on 7-for-11 shooting. Braxton Kestner tied Ippensen with six rebounds to lead the team and would also add a team-high two assists. Corbyn Hoosier would also finish in double digit scoring with 10 points.
Eureka (8-2) advances to Monday’s Game 14 at 5:30pm where they will meet the Canton Little Giants. Camp Point Central (2-10) will instead play Rockridge in the consolation bracket’s Game 10, Monday at 10:30am.
Box Score
Eureka Info
Camp Point Central Info
Chris Derry
December 27, 2025
2025 Game 4 Recap: Canton 52, Rockridge 31
For the first time since 2017, the Rockridge Rockets will not advance to the winner’s bracket after a 52-31 loss at the hand of the Canton Little Giants. Canton led this game from wire-to-wire in what was the first game of the tournament that wasn’t heartburn-inducing. Fast breaks and points off turnovers were the story of this game, as the Little Giants led each category by a tally of 10-0 and 17-5, respectively.
Canton was led in scoring by a trio of players who finished in double figures. Lakon Otto scored 15 points, Sivante Stokes would finish with 12, and Braxton Rock added 10 as well. Easton Lusk would also pitch in another eight points. Lakon Otto would also lead the team in rebounds with seven. Gavin Otto led the game with four assists and Stokes would swipe two steals.
Rockridge’s scoring attack was shouldered by Wade Richhart’s 14 points and Lukas McKay’s 12 points, which represented 84% of the team’s total. Richhart would also lead the team (and the game) with eight rebounds. Chase Wheatley would lead the Rockets with three assists. The Rockets actually shot a solid 8-for-16 from the floor in the first half for 50%. However, they combined to shoot 4-for-22 in the second half, halting hopes of a late comeback.
Canton (8-3) advances to Game 14 on Monday at 5:30, where they will match with #4 seed Eureka. Rockridge will play Game 10, Monday at 10:30 against Camp Point Central.
Box Score
Canton Info
Rockridge Info
Chris Derry
December 28, 2025
2025 Game 5 Recap: Abingdon-Avon 55, Pittsfield 33
Leading 20 minutes of this contest, the Abingdon-Avon Tornadoes used 15 assists and stifling defense to top Pittsfield’s Saukees by a score of 55-33 in Game 5. A-Town started slow – scoring just seven points in the first quarter – but came alive and scored a combined 39 points in the second and third quarters. This game wasn’t pretty from a ball security perspective, as the teams combined for 27 turnovers and 21 steals. The Tornadoes made the difference beyond the arc, where they shot 8-for-19 from three, compared to the Saukees’ mark of 1-for-18 from long range.
A-Town’s Alex Foutch (16 points) and Tre Kenon (11 points) led the scoring attack while Ryker Darst pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. Kenon also snagged eight more rebounds. All told, the Tornadoes out-rebounded Saukees 38-32. Lucas Andrews led the Tornadoes with five asissts and Darst dished another four. Kenon swiped three steals and Ayden Stromson collected three of the team’s six blocks.
Pittsfield’s leading scorer was Taylor Graham, with 14 points. Collin Bernard led the team with nine rebounds. The Saukees committed fewer turnovers and grabbed more steals than their opponent, but 14-for-57 (24.6%) from the floor was tough to overcome.
Third seeded Abingdon-Avon will take an 11-1 record into their second round matchup with Macomb, Monday at 7:00pm in Game 15. The last five years of the Macomb-Western Holiday Tournament have been won by the #3 seed, and A-Town is hoping to extend that to a sixth year. Pittsfield falls to the consolation bracket and will face off with Peoria Christian in Game 11, which takes place Monday at Noon.
Box Score
Abingdon-Avon Info
Pittsfield Info
Chris Derry
December 28, 2025
2025 Game 6 Recap: Macomb 45, Peoria Christian 37
The Macomb Bombers used a 26-to-14 advantage on points in the paint to secure a 45-37 victory over the Chargers of Peoria Christian in Game 6 of the 2025 event. Peoria Christian led 34-32 heading into the final quarter but shot just 1-for-8 to finish out the game, allowing Macomb to come back and ultimately advance to the second round. Turnovers allowed this game to get sloppy, as the teams combined for a blistering 33 giveaways, leading to a combined 26 points off turnovers between the teams.
Carter Havens led Bombers with 11 points, followed closely by Drew Watson’s 10 points. Nolan Hoge’s 12 rebounds lead the entire tournament field after Day 1. Watson led the team with five assists and Hoge’s four steals also led the Bombers. Macomb shot 18-for-47 (38.3%) from the floor and will look to improve that figure if they hope to defeat an impressive Abingdon-Avon squad in round 2.
The Chargers were led in scoring by Jacob Walton’s nine points and Trae Brickner’s eight points. Walton also had a team-high five rebounds. Peoria Christian’s biggest downfall turned out to be 18 turnovers that led to 16 Macomb points.
Macomb (8-4) will look to avenge one of its season losses as it will meet back up with Abingdon-Avon in Monday night’s second round Game 15 at 7:00pm. Peoria Christian falls to 5-5 and will meet up with the Pittsfield Saukees in Monday’s Game 11 at Noon.
Box Score
Macomb Info
Peoria Christian Info
Chris Derry
December 28, 2025
2025 Game 7 Recap: Brown County 57, Bushnell-Prairie City 21
Led by a quartet of double-digit scorers, the #2 seed Brown County Hornets led wire-to-wire to take a 57-21 victory away from the Spartans of Bushnell-Prairie City. The Hornets dominated every aspect of this game, leading points in the paint (34-to-8), points off turnovers (14-to-5), and fast break points (17-to-5), and rebounds (39-to-19).
Brown County’s double-digit scorers included Michael Kassing (14), Jackson McNeff (12), Bradley Markert (11), and Wyatt Kassing (10). Reigning all-tournament selection McNeff led his team by grabbing seven rebounds and dishing four assists. Markert’s four blocks led both teams. The Hornets shot well from the field, totaling 24-for-47 (51%). Brown County’s 39 rebounds leads the tournament after Day 1.
Bushnell-Prairie City’s leading scorer was De’Arion Ruffin-Thomas’s eight points. Braylon Griffits added six points of his own. The Spartans shot just 7-for-41 (17%) in the game, including failing to make a field goal in the fourth and final quarter. Brown County was just too much in this one as the #2 seed lived up to their strong season billing.
Brown County (7-1) advances to the second round where they will face the Chargers from Illini West in Game 16, Monday night at 8:30pm. Bushnell-Prairie City (2-9) will face Monmouth-Roseville in the consolation bracket in Game 12, Monday afternoon at 1:30pm.
Box Score
Brown County Info
Bushnell-Prairie City Info
Chris Derry
December 28, 2025
2025 Game 8 Recap: Illini West 52, Monmouth-Roseville 28
Illini West’s Chargers, likely just missing a tournament seed took care of business in Day 1’s final contest. They knocked off the Monmouth-Roseville Titans by a score of 52-28. The Chargers forced 16 turnovers and converted those into 20 points. This was a tale of two halves, as the score was just 18-15 at the intermission. Was it a halftime pep talk that awoke the Chargers? Who knows…but they outscored the Titans by a score of 34-13 in the second half, including 17-0 in the fourth quarter. Despite the close first half, an open layup by Illini West’s Cash Jones 90 seconds into this game ended the last time these two teams would be tied.
The Chargers were led by a trio of double-digit scorers, which included Wesley Robertson’s 15 points, Cash Jones’s 12 points, and Myles Wear’s 10 points. Robertson and Jones each tied with the team lead of seven rebounds. Robertson and Wear each had four assists. Illini West outrebounded the Titans by a count of 37-24.
Monmouth-Roseville has just four players score in this contest: Nick Huston (11), Cee Sarcomo (nine), Elliott Rogers (four), and Kaden Russell (four). Russell finished with an impressive game-high eight rebounds, while Sarcomo and Huston grabbed seven rebounds each. Huston led the Titans with four assists and Sarcomo swiped four steals.
The Chargers (10-3) advance to face #2 seed Brown County in Monday night’s final contest, Game 16, at 8:30pm. Monmouth-Roseville (1-7) falls to the consolation bracket, where they will matchup with Bushnell-Prairie City in Game 12, Monday afternoon at 1:30pm.
Illini West Info
Monmouth-Roseville Info
Chris Derry
December 28, 2025
