The second seeded Lincoln Cardinals defeated fifth seeded Hermitage 59-41 to win the 30th Annual Otterville Holiday Classic Tournament. A sizable Lincoln crowd braved the chilly elements last Saturday night to watch their team take home the coveted trophy.
Lincoln's superior size and bench strength proved too much for the sharp shooters from Hermitage.
Hermitage had knocked off the number one seed Praire Home on Friday to earn their chance in the title game.
With the return of injured players, juniors Riley Sanders and Dawson Parrott, the Cardinals are one player short of being at full strength for the first time in two years. Senior Cam Everhart hopes to play in the near future, giving Cardinals head coach Tyler Burke the deepest roster the Cardinals have had in recent years. Everhart will give the team some extra floor leadership and coolness under pressure that they need.
Hermitage bombed from the outside to lead 15-11 after one. Lincoln led at the half, 28-24 on the strength of their height advantage and deeper bench.
In the third, the Cardinals took command and led 46-32. In the fourth, Lincoln worked the clock with ball control looking for an open layup to the frustration of their opponents.
Sanders' three 3-pointer's in the third helped to bust the game open. He led all scorers with 19 points. Cash Turner from Hermitage, who was held to just five points in the championship game, received the tournament MVP on the boy's side.
The Cardinals received a big scare in the first round as they just nipped Iberia, 53-50 in a tougher game than expected. They defeated Smithton, 51-42 in the semifinal matchup. They are now 7-1 and the 44-42 loss to Skyline in the finals of the tournament at Warsaw looms even larger. They have challenges coming up, but if they can remain healthy, they can be as good as they want to be.
LINCOLN (59): Sanders, 19; Cole, 3; Young, 2; Parrott, 4; Koll, 2; Srader, 10; Benham, 13; Harms, 3; Eckhoff, 3.
HERMITAGE (41): Earwood, 11; Turner, 5; Weathas, 6; Whittle, 9; Wheeler, 6; Sawyer, 4.
