The Hartville Eagles clinched back-to-back Clever Tournament championships on Saturday night after they knocked off a solid Springfield Catholic squad in the title game, 59-36.
Two Eagles scored at least 20 points in the victory.
Ryce Piper led Hartville with 21 points while Braden Branstetter dropped in 20 points after making three 3-pointers.
Brady Ward scored eight points; both Eli Cook and Eric Wilson had four points; while Cody Mahan had two points.
In the semifinals, the Eagles took on Springfield Hillcrest and struggled early offensively.
Hartville only scored six points in the first quarter and were tied at 19-19 at halftime.
After the break, Hartville completely outmatched the Hornets in the second half by outscoring them 51-19 on their way to a 70-38 win.
The Eagles made seven 3-pointers in the win and won the battle in the paint, 40-14.
Cook scored a team-high 18 points and added eight rebounds and six assists. Piper tallied 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists; Mahan had 12 points, four rebounds and four assists; Ward scored eight points; Branstetter had seven points; and Dalton O’Dell had six points and two assists. Wilson had two points and four rebounds.
The Hornets’ Crishawn Haggard finished with 17 points.
In the first round, the top seeded Eagles were too much for Seneca in a 79-37 win.
Hartville jumped out to a 25-9 first quarter lead before pitching a 20-0 second quarter shutout to take a 45-9 halftime lead.
The Eagles won the second half, 34-28.
Hartville won the battle in the paint, 50-14, and made eight 3-pointers.
Piper scored a team-high 16 points with 10 rebounds and three assists while Cook had 14 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. O’Dell had 13 points and five rebounds; Branstetter chipped in 11 points and six rebounds; Ward had 11 points and five rebounds; Mahan had nine points; and Bryce Coday added five points, three rebounds and three steals.
