LEAD SPORTS PHOTO: Ashland’s Bryce Arnold gave donation checks to, left, boys basketball coach Andy Jahnsen and, right, girls basketball coach Damon Wren last week from the Southern Boone Youth Basketball Tournament. The donations will go towards assisting the high school program. Not pictured: Alicia Lange, co-tournament director.

LEAD SPORTS STORY: Eagles win third straight Classic crown

Midway through the second quarter of Saturday night’s boys championship game of the Southern Boone Classic, Eagles senior Sam Stichnote was ahead the Carnahan Cougars team 16-14. The Eagles led 25-14 at the time – – but Stichnote had 16 of those 22 points and the Cougars had no answer for the All State player who kept cutting to the basket to get great passes from his teammates for scoring opportunities.

The Eagles controlled the title game throughout and pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 65-49 win and their third consecutive Southern Boone Classic championship trophy.

The Eagles, now 17-2, were not just a “Sam Stichnote on offense” show. Their defense confused the Cougars in the first quarter and controlled the game, even when Carnahan made runs in the second and third quarter.

The Cougars, while very athletic, didn’t help themselves.

Carnahan had two technical fouls and four lane violations.

The technical fouls were for dunking during warmups and a player entered the game without checking in at the scorer’s table – a youth league mistake.

~ Read the rest of the story in today’s Journal ~

By Briley Eilers