Warriors take second at Burrton tournament
Staff writer
Peabody-Burns High School boys' basketball team finished second Saturday in the Burrton tournament.
The Warriors defeated Burrton Jan. 17 in round one, 62-47. In second round play PBHS downed Berean 40-34. In the championship game Saturday PBHS fell to Fairfield. The Warriors have the upcoming week off during the girls' team tournament.
PBHS leaped ahead of Burrton in the first quarter of play. Leading 26-2, the game seemed in the bag early for the Warriors.
Most of the points came on fast breaks, as Derrick Simmonds led the team with eight points in the quarter.
Nathan Bishop had seven points, Derek Benson six, Duane Unruh contributed three points, and Micah Hilliard two.
PBHS slowed the pace in the second scoring 10 points before the half. Benson and Simmonds each had four points and Trevor Hamm got on the scoreboard with a basket. The Burrton offense received a boost and scored 21 points. The Warriors still led 36-23 at the half.
The Warriors offense continued to roll in the second half. Third-period scoring was led by Simmonds with six points. Unruh had four, and Hilliard, Benson, and Hamm each had a basket. The lead was 52-39 at the end of the quarter.
In the fourth Simmonds added seven and Bishop two.
scoring
Simmonds 25, Benson 12, Bishop 9, Unruh 7, Hilliard 4, Hamm 4.
Round two
The second game of the tournament against Berean was a slow-paced, controlled contest. PBHS took the early lead and held the edge at the end of the first, 11-5. Benson paced the team with six points and Simmonds added five.
The PBHS offense continued to build a steady lead in the second. Unruh had four, while Bishop and Benson each had two. Berean only scored seven points and trailed PBHS 19-12 at the half.
The Berean offense came out on the attack from the perimeter in the third and tied the game at 22.
The PBHS defense made adjustments and held Berean scoreless for the remainder of the quarter. PBHS finished with an 8-0 run and led 30-22 heading into the final quarter. Unruh and Jason Carroll each had four points. Simmonds added a three-pointer.
Simmonds scored four more in the fourth quarter and Bishop, Benson, and Carroll all had two points.
PBHS led by 12 with four minutes left in the game. Berean got back to within six but PBHS held off the surge and claimed the victory, 40-34.
scoring
Simmonds 12, Benson 10, Unruh 8, Carroll 6, Bishop 4.
Championship
For only the second time in tournament history, the Warriors played in the championship game.
A slow start put the Warriors behind by five at the end of the first quarter, 10-5. Benson had three and Simmonds added two.
The gap grew in the second, making the halftime deficit 21-12. Simmonds had three more points, while Benson and Unruh each chipped in with two.
The Warrior defense held Fairfield to nine in the third and the offense scored 10. Simmonds had six points, and Unruh had four, as the Warriors trailed 30-22 at the end of three.
PBHS closed the gap to two points in the final quarter with less than two minutes to play.
A late chance to tie the game was unsuccessful and the Warriors fell by five, 42-37.
Benson put up seven points in the fourth. Cole Welsh, Carroll, Unruh, and Simmonds each added a basket.
scoring
Simmonds 13, Benson 12, Unruh 8, Welsh 2, Carroll 2.
All-tourney team
Two Warriors were named to the Burrton Invitational all-tournament team. Benson, a senior scored 32 points for an average of 10.7 points per game.
Simmonds, a junior, racked up 50 points in the three games, an average of 16.7 per contest.
