Prep Hoops: Eagles, Wildcats put “Classic” in Vienna Classic
Eldorado and Carrier Mills-Stonefort High School put the "Classic" in Vienna Classic Friday night.
Eldorado, who trailed most of the contest, got a game-winner from Braden Attebury as time expired to propel the Eagles to a thrilling 43-41 win over CMSF as the 6-foot-4 junior was mobbed by teammates down the court.
With Eldorado trailing 41-40 with less than 14 seconds left on the clock, the Eagles came out of a timeout, with a play drawn up for Attebury that according to head coach Josh Bradley was ran to perfection. Most of that was also said tongue in cheek, but Bradley did say it was a game his Eagles needed.
"You have to figure out what your team is made of and how much grit they've got and how much fight they have. Are they going to quit or are they not going to quit and I thought they showed a lot of heart, battled and (Friday) the shots just didn't go in."
When asked how many 3-pointers Bradley had on the night, he was quick to respond with 1 - and it was Attebury's.
"I know we're down by one and everyone says you should go for two, but (Carrier Mills-Stonefort) coach (Keil) Peebles is putting three or four guys on everyone we had in the block and we laugh and joke around, but every time Braden Attebury shoots the ball, we say it's going in. I don't think the kid knows how to miss. He just missed the one (3-pointer) the time before, but there was nobody else we were going back to in that situation and he hit a big shot."
After the game, Peebles was still perplexed as to what he could have done differently.
"We kinda figured Eldorado was going to go down low to (Ethan) Partridge, but I give Eldorado credit, they hung in there and gave themselves a chance. We played our game plan perfectly. We weren't going to get in a hurry and I don't know, the only three they get on the night, they get at the buzzer.
"I'm not taking away anything from Eldorado, they are a great ball team, but my kids gave it all and as a coach, you can't ask for anything else. Win or lose, they left it all out on the floor."
Eldorado held a 15-7 lead after one quarter, but CMSF outscored the Eagles 21-10 in the second quarter to hold a five-point, 28-23 lead at the break. The Wildcats increased that lead to six, taking a 36-30 advantage into the game's final eight minutes.
Eldorado's John Meredith hit a pair of free throws with 4:36 to play to tie the game at 36-all and Attebury's bucket with 3:56 to play knotted the game at 38-all. Carrier Mills' Will Gibbs gave the Wildcats a 40-38 lead after two free throws with 1:10 to play and Ray May tied the game for Eldorado for a third time with a bucket with 29 seconds to go.
Eldorado's Max Kasiar fouled out with 20.3 to play, sending CMSF's Dylan Schwartz to the line, where the senior guard made 1-of-2, setting up the final play for Attebury's 3-pointer right in front of the Eldorado bench.
Peebles said his game plan to spread the floor and either get to the free throw line or get an easy bucket underneath worked well most of the game, but late, second chance points is what hurt his club the most.
Eldorado went 18-of-54 from the field, compared to the 15-for-28 that Carrier Mills-Stonefort shot, proving that second chance opportunities certainly favored Eldorado.
Partridge led all scorers with 15 points and was the lone Eagle to finish in double figures. Brody Walker had a team-high 12 points for the Wildcats.
Attebury netted nine for the Eagles, while Jacob Traxler scored six points. Kasiar and Meredith each finished with four points, while Kale Oglesby tacked on three and May had two points.
Schwartz had nine for CMSF, while Gibbs scored seven and Justice Hill chipped in with six points. Andrew Lollis finished with five points, while Billy Lewis had a bucket.
Eldorado 68, Vienna 38 (Saturday)
Eldorado captured the championship of the Vienna Classic after going 5-0 in a 68-38 win over Vienna Saturday night.
The Eagles put three players in double figures as Attebury led all scorers with 20 points, while Meredith poured in 18 points and Traxler dumped in 14 points.
Oglesby and Partridge each finished with five points a piece, while May had four points and Jace Jenkins tacked on two points.
Century 75,
Carrier Mills-Stonefort 59 (Saturday)
Will Gibbs had a team-high 18 points, while Justice Hill netted 11 and Brody Walker tacked on 10 for the Wildcats in their 75-59 loss to Century Saturday night at the Vienna Classic.
Schwartz had eight for CMSF in the loss, while Austin scored six, Lewis had two and Lollis finished with four.
Eldorado 71, Cobden 39 (Wednesday)
Meredith had a career-high 27 points in Eldorado's 71-39 win over Cobden Wednesday night and was joined in double figures by Partridge's 15 points.
Attebury added eight for the Eagles, while May scored seven points. Traxler and Kasiar each scored six for EHS, while Jace Jenkins had two points.
Vienna 63, Carrier Mills-Stonefort 56 OT (Wednesday)
Hill had a team-high 23 points in CMSF's 63-56 overtime loss to Vienna Wednesday night.
Despite multiple attempts to reach out to Galatia, no information was submitted by the coaching staff or school.
Walker and Schwartz each dumped in 14 points for the Wildcats, while Gibbs finished with five points.
Following the conclusion of the Vienna Classic, Eldorado's Ethan Partridge was named Most Valuable Player after averaging 14 points per game and 10 rebounds as the Eagles went undefeated. It's the second straight year for Bradley and the Eagles at the Vienna Classic and seventh overall. Also joining Partridge on the All-Tournament team were Brody Walker for Carrier Mills-Stonefort and Devyn Verbeck for Galatia.
Michael Dann covers prep and college sports for the Harrisburg Daily Register and Eldorado Daily Journal. Follow him on Twitter: @spydieshooter.