Game 47: Illini West vs. Metamora (Boy's Basketball)

Game 47
(12/30/09)
Illini West vs. Metamora (Boy's Basketball)
Macomb-Western Holiday Tournament (3rd Place)

Third place is on the line between the Illini West Chargers and Metamora Redbirds. Jim Youngman has provided the best lines on the bench from the coaches.

The underdog Chargers jumped out to a 13-7 lead after the first quarter. Trey Bartlett provided a spark for IW, with a pair of field goals and a free throw in the opening eight minutes. The Redbirds struggled from the field all game long.

At halftime, it was Illini West by five points (18-13). The Chargers were boosted by a couple three-pointers in the third quarter, one by Cody Carson, and another by Bartlett. Metamora trailed after three quarters, 31-22. Only one field goal was made by the Redbirds in the fourth quarter, a three-pointer by J.D. Kamp, and another field goal by Alex Nelson. Metamora finished (11-43) from the field (25.6%), falling 43-30.

Jacob Schmudlach scored a game-high 14 points for the Chargers, and also pulled down 9 rebounds. His younger brother, Drake, had 9 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists. Trey Bartlett finished with 8 points. Metamora was led by J.D. Kamp, with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals. Alex Nelson pitched in 8 points, 3 rebounds for the Redbirds.

My broadcast day was over. The next game was for the tournament championship, pitting the hometown Macomb Bombers against the Canton Little Giants. Following the IW/Metamora game, I had seven of my ten all-tournament selections picked out. It all depended on the final game (first half), who would be added. Macomb, in the past few years, has had a different players step up in each game of the tournament, making it very hard to put just one or two on the ballot.

My picks from Macomb early on were between Alex Roberts and Tyler Thorman, and quite possibly Alex Heille if he had a really good first half against Canton. Jordan Fouts was the clear-cut favorite from Canton, and my favorite for MVP of the tournament.

With Canton jumping out to a huge lead after the first quarter, Jordan Fouts easily became my MVP of the tournament. I was still undecided on whether or not to put another Canton player on or not. By halftime, I decided to place Tyler Thorman from Macomb, and just Fouts (MVP) from Canton. I put a player from 10 different teams on my ballot. A late addition was Garrett Robbins of Barry Western. He was the odd-man out, if more than one was placed from Macomb or Canton. My other players to make the 10-man ballot were; Danny Harman (Illini Central), Logan Harris (Pleasant Plains), Ryan Runge (West Hancock), Jacob Schmudlach (Illini West), J.D. Kamp (Metamora), Brad Hamilton (Pittsfield), and Brandon Fisher (Midwest Central).

Turned the ballot in at halftime of the championship game, then went over and talked with B-PC/A head coach Matt Colston and B-PC Athletic Director Stan Prentice. I decided to not shave for about two weeks, and Colston asked me, "What's with the facial hair, you starting a boy band?" No boy band, just laziness and curiosity, lol.

Despite a valiant comeback attempt by Macomb, a 16-point deficit (32-16) in the second half was too much to overcome. The Bombers made it a 3-point game at one point, but the Little Giants would finish off Macomb (52-42) for the title. Zach Grover went (5-6) from the three-point line, leading the comeback charge.

After the game I spoke with Dan Rouse, the Bombers statistician. He is looking for a place where he can find past All-State selections in football and basketball. If you know where these records can be found, please email me at beauspencer82@hotmail.com.

Also talked with Macomb football coach and my former broadcast partner Kelly Sears, and K100 play-by-play voice Kipp Jones, and chatted with Brian Sullivan, one of the stat guys for many years at the tournament before heading out. Decided to head to the Sports Corner @ 124 to wind down after many, many hours of work over the three-day tournament. I won't divulge the conversations that took place!

The Quest File Notes
Game 47
Date: 12/30/09
Result: Illini West pulls off the upset in 3rd place game, downing Metamora (43-30)
Miles: 0