Roman Harrison/Student Correspondent
Darren Kinnard
Section618.com
SALEM — The Mount Vernon Rams captured second place in the 70th annual Salem Invitational Tournament Saturday night following a 59-41 loss to the East Saint Louis Flyers in the championship game. While the Flyers had an advantage in size and speed, the Rams stayed within striking distance the whole game, but they were unable to stage a run big enough to successfully come back.
The Flyers controlled the game from the tip. The Rams struggled with their fast-paced, drive-based offense, as well as their defense that utilized a press paired with a half-court trap.
The Rams were led in scoring by NJ Benson with 16 points, a testament to the Flyers defense holding one of Southern Illinois’ most dynamic players to less than 20.
The Rams did not get the open looks from three-point range they have grown accustomed to due to defenses stacking the middle to try and control the duo of Benson and King, as East St. Louis had the speed to cover both the wings and the paint. The Rams finished 4-15 from three.
Rams’ guard Cooper Hemby said, “I felt like we had a slow start to the game offensively. East Side is a very talented and athletic team, and our slow first half put us in a hole. In the second half the team started playing well on both ends of the court, but due to our slow first half we came up short.”
The Flyers were led in scoring by Macaleab Rich with 16, followed by Christian Jones with 15. East St. Louis finished with six steals and four blocks. The Flyers also had many second chance shot opportunities.
“I thought we could’ve boxed out and rebounded better on the defensive end,” said Rams’ Jackson Swan.
Swan’s time on the floor was limited, due to a nagging knee injury. His energy usually serves as a great equalizer in games against quick teams such as the Flyers.
“We played hard and stuck together throughout the game. East Saint Louis made some tough shots during the game, but we kept fighting and stayed with the process. We came up short in the championship but we had a great tournament as a team,” said Rams guard Colin McClure.
The Rams did have a very productive tournament, taking two of the three games, beating Madison and Thornton Fractional North. Mount Vernon had three players make the all-tournament teams, Dashaunsae King and Colin McClure were second team selections, and NJ Benson made the first team. Despite the success, the Rams feel as if they missed an opportunity.
“While we are proud we made it to the championship, we feel we still could have won,” said Brock Holloway. “That being said, there’s nothing we can do about it now but focus on our next game.”
The Rams’ next game is the South Seven rivalry game against the Centralia Orphans on Friday for the annual Mt. Vernon Blackout game in Changnon Gymnasium. The Junior Varsity game is slated for 6 p.m. with the varsity set to follow.