Holiday Tournament Roundup: Eagles finish fourth at Macomb after tough semifinal loss

MACOMB, Ill. — The Liberty boys basketball team nearly toppled one Class 2A program.

The Eagles didn’t have enough in the tank to generate a second opportunity.

Wednesday afternoon, in the semifinals of the 75th Macomb-Western Holiday Tournament, Farmington went on a 7-0 run over a 90-second span in the final two minutes of regulation to take the lead and fend off Liberty with a 45-43 victory.

Wednesday night, in the third-place game, Macomb parlayed a nine-point halftime lead into a 54-38 victory over the Eagles at Western Hall.

Against Farmington, Liberty led 40-38 after Breiton Klingele scored off a Cannen Wolf assist with 2:07 remaining in regulation. The Farmers’ Riley Embry hit a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession before the Eagles had a turnover, a missed 3-pointer and a missed free throw on their next three possessions.

Wolf’s 3-pointer with 15 seconds remaining pulled Liberty within 45-43, and Embry missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 10 seconds to go. Without a timeout, the Eagles rushed the ball into the frontcourt but were unable to get a shot off before the buzzer.

Devin Klauser led the Eagles with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Klingele had 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Against Macomb, the Eagles shot just 33.3 percent in the first half and 34.9 percent from the field overall as the Bombers systematically pulled away.

Wolf finished with 11 points, while Klingele had 10 points and seven rebounds.

In the consolation bracket, Brown County defeated Illini Bluffs 60-31 and Monmouth-Roseville 38-34 for the consolation championship. Tate Fullerton and Cole Behymer had 17 points apiece against Illini Bluffs, while Fullerton had 11 points and six assists against Monmouth-Roseville.

Pittsfield and Central both lost in the fifth-place bracket.

The Saukees fell 47-43 to Lewistown as Carter Klatt had 11 points and Bobby Stout added 10, while the Panthers lost 61-42 to Rockridge with Nick Moore scoring 14 points and Breyhar Wiskirchen adding 10.