Holiday Tournament Roundup: Chargers run gauntlet to Beardstown title, Hornets finish third

BEARDSTOWN, Ill. — It didn’t take long for Grant Surprenant to realize Caydee Kirkham had a different demeanor Thursday night.

“She had that look that she was in attack mode,” the Illini West girls basketball coach said of his senior point guard.

Nothing Unity tried altered that.

Kirkham delivered an MVP performance in the championship game of the Lady Tiger Classic, scoring 29 points to go with 10 rebounds and six assists in leading the third-seeded Chargers to a 66-51 victory over the top-seeded Mustangs at Beardstown High School.

Kirkham was named to the all-tournament team and given the Terry Kennedy Award as the tournament MVP.

“She deserved to be the MVP of the tournament,” Surprenant said.

The Chargers earned the title, too, making the necessary defensive adjustments to pull away in the second half. Illini West led 36-31 at halftime and increased the advantage to just 47-41 by the end of the third quarter. The real separation came down the stretch as Illini West’s offense found its rhythm.

“In the third quarter, we came out and got stops, but we couldn’t convert,” Surprenant said. “Still, we stayed with it. We did a good job of executing offensively to get going in the fourth quarter.”

Sophomore guard Josie Bryan came off the bench to score 14 points for the Chargers, including hitting three critical shots in the first half when it was still a one-possession game.

It further demonstrated how Illini West’s offense is multi-dimensional, even on a night when Kirkham controls the game.

“Caydee is going to create and get a lot of attention,” Surprenant said. “Teams are going to collapse on her. When they do, we have to be ready to shoot and knock down shots. Josie hit some big shots. Hallie Ray hit a big shot in the fourth quarter. That’s what we’re going to have to keep doing.”

Ashlynn Arnsman led the Mustangs with 18 points and eight rebounds, and Unity (13-2) will get a rematch with Illini West (15-1) on Wednesday in Carthage.

The Chargers, who travel to South Fulton on Monday, are riding a 14-game winning streak.

“I would hope it creates a little sense of urgency for us in regards to understanding if you come ready to play every game you can play the best and compete against the best,” Surprenant said. “You can put yourself in position to win those basketball games.

“It gives us confidence, of course, and we can build off this. But like I told the girls after this, four games in four nights will help prepare us for the rest of the season and the postseason.”

In the third-place game, fourth-seeded Brown County beat second-seeded Havana 53-43, buckling down defensively after allowing 18 points in the first quarter. The Ducks scored just six points in both the second and third quarters.

Klare Flynn led the Hornets with 19 points, while Katey Flynn added 13 points.