Saukees rely on defense to carry them to title of their own Thanksgiving tournament

PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Keep shooting. Eventually, the ball goes in.

That’s the mentality the Pittsfield boys basketball players needed Friday night.

The Saukees missed their first nine 3-point attempts, but once the ball started going through the hoop, everything changed. 

Taylor Graham hit a 3-pointer as the third quarter ended to give Pittsfield a one-point lead over Liberty in the championship game of the Pittsfield Thanksgiving Tournament. From there, the Saukees relied on lockdown defense and opportunistic scoring to secure a 45-39 victory at Voshall Gym.

“In the second half, our defensive energy picked up,” Pittsfield coach Brad Tomhave said. “And we were able to make some shots.”

Graham and Conner Sweeting both hit 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as the Saukees outscored the Eagles 12-7 over the final eight minutes.

“Coming in, there were a lot of uncertainties,” said Tomhave, whose team returned players who combined for only six points per game last season. “We knew it was going to be a struggle offensively, but one thing these kids can do is guard. That’s what we hung our hat on the first three games.”

Pittsfield limited Liberty sophomore forward Reed Sparrow to 13 points. Graham led the Saukees with 17 points.