(Park Hills, MO) The sixth seeded Festus Tigers defeated the fifth seed Potosi Trojans 46-44 to secure fifth place in the 68th annual Bob Sechrest Jr. Central Christmas Tournament. Potosi fouls were the difference in the game with Festus shooting 18 for 20 from the free-throw line.
Festus held momentum early in the game, outscoring the Trojans 19-10 in the first quarter. Potosi was able to make some key stops in the second and held the Tigers’ offense to 10 points in the second while they put up nine, 29-19 heading into halftime. Festus came out hot in the third, outscoring Potosi 19-13. The Trojans gave a big push in the fourth quarter where they scored 22 and held Festus to just eight points, but thanks to the large deficit and some generous officiating in the Tigers’ favor, they were unable to close the gap.
Festus was led in scoring by Carter Roth who put up 17 points and scored 5 of 6 from the free-throw line. He was helped by 13 points from Hayden Bates. Carter Whitley carried the Potosi offense with 27 points, shooting 59% from the field.
Festus ends with a 3-1 record in the tournament. Potosi finished 2-2.