16-0 first quarter carries Fieldcrest to repeat title at Colmone Classic

SPRING VALLEY - It was a Sweet 16.

The Fieldcrest Knights pitched a 16-0 first-quarter shutout and scored the first 17 points of the game on the way to defeating LaSalle-Peru 48-38 to repeat as Colmone Classic champions Saturday in the 50th year of the annual Hall tournament

“Lucky for us, they weren’t hitting their shots. they’re a real good shooting team, so for us to make them not hit their shots, that’s good for us,” said Fieldcrest senior Eddie Lorton, the tournament MVP. “We had to get those defensive rebounds. Once they started getting back into it, we kind of pushed a little bit back. Just proud of our guys. Proud of them.

“We didn’t have a game until December and all of us putting in the work and wanted to win. We just love basketball. We’re all just good teammates.”

It was Fieldcrest’s second straight Colmone championship and record 14th overall.

“It’s always awesome to come up here. Have since I was a student,” Fieldcrest coach Jeremy Hahn said. “I think it’s run so well and the people are so awesome. For me, just personally, getting selfish, it means a lot because I’ve always enjoyed coming here and watching basketball. As a coach, to be able to put guys in positions to have good runs the last two years, it’s meant a lot. And the boys have responded and played exceptionally well.”

L-P reached the finals for the second time in four years, falling to Princeton 66-62 in 2021.

The Cavs just couldn’t buy a bucket, not scoring a basket for the first 12 minutes of the game, and spotting the Knights too big of a lead.

“We just could not make a basket,” L-P coach John Senica said. “I don’t think we made a basket until the 4-minute mark (of the second quarter). Got great shots, they just wouldn’t fall. We hit half of those shots it’s a completely different outcome here. Just couldn’t put the ball in the hole.

“The kids never gave up. It all came down to that first quarter. There was a lid on the rim tonight.”

Eli Gerdes hit a pair of 3-pointers around one by Kash Klendworth for a quick 9-0 Knights lead. Klendworth drilled another trey and Jordan Heider converted a steal for a layup to make it 16-0.

Hahn said he didn’t have a 16-0 first quarter on his radar.

“I could sense the boys were calm, confident,” he said. “We’ve been struggling to put it in the hole, in particularly from 3 until yesterday. Had a good shoot-around this morning. So I just felt like we were going to shoot normal. I’m a stats guy, too, and you’re going to revert to your mean. We were pretty cold the first two games coming out of the gate. I know we got better shooters than that. They finally started hitting some shots and that opens some things up for us.”

After their fast start, the Knights settled for a 26-12 halftime lead on a 3-pointer by Gerdes.

The Cavaliers fought their way back to 30-22 on a basket by Jameson Hill mid-way through the third quarter.

A Heider hoop put the Knights up 34-24 at quarter’s end.

Gerdes had a team-high 14 points for the Knights (4-0) while all-tournament selections Norton and Heider each added 10.

“Eddie and Jordan are pretty special players,” Hahn said. “They’ve both been starting since they were freshman and they just work so hard. They have a passion for basketball that is unparalleled. They kind of go hand in hand. And they’re both special young men.”

Nick Olivero led the Cavs (6-4) with 15 points and Mikey Hartman added 11.

Hahn said the tournament was a good learning opportunity for his Knights.

“We got a new batch of juniors and some holdovers from last year, but we’re still kind of finding our way,” he said. “This kind of gives us a learning environment as we springboard into the meat of our schedule.”

All-tournament team

The Knights duo was joined on the all-tournament team by Jordan Reinhardt of Princeton, Braden Curran of Hall, Kuitim Heald and Ryken Howard of Rock Falls, Cole Tillman of Mendota, Colten Alstat of Eureka, and Hartman and Marion Persich of L-P.