WAVERLY — The North Mac boys basketball team unwrapped its first Waverly Holiday Tournament title with a stunning holiday Cinderella run.
The No. 6-seeded Panthers spurned a five-game slump with a four-game winning spree that culminated with a 52-40 victory over top-seeded Jacksonville Routt on Tuesday, Dec. 30. Students crowding the sidelines at Jim Roeschley Gymnasium duly rushed the floor after the horn.
North Mac (8-6) lost their previous five championship game appearances since the consolidation between Girard and Virden in 2010. Girard and Virden won their last titles in 2003 and 1991, respectively.
It was indeed historic — and seemingly out of nowhere in the 75th anniversary of “the longest running Class A boys holiday basketball tournament in the state of Illinois.”
“We’ve been playing our whole lives, so we’ve always had chemistry,” North Mac junior Collin Etter said. “We knew coming into this nobody believed in us and we had all faith.”
Etter missed at least a couple of games earlier in the season due to a knee injury and battled through sickness during the tournament, no less.
He hardly showed any signs of attrition with 15 points. Etter, an all-tournament first team selection, was serenaded with “M-V-P” chants at the free throw line in the waning seconds.
North Mac coach Konner Beer described Etter as the heart and soul of the team.
“He’s always going hard, getting the rebounds for us, getting second-chance points, getting and-1s, which gets us hyped up and gets us all going,” added sophomore teammate Luke Alexander.
But it was North Mac’s perimeter shooting that propelled the Panthers to a sizzling, early lead. Alexander, junior Camden Earley and sophomore Carson Powell each drained a 3 in the first period for a 14-11 advantage.
Alexander and Powell each hit three 3s and finished with 17 and 14 points, respectively. Alexander was tabbed all-tournament second team.
Routt constantly threatened but never grabbed the lead. North Mac outscored the previously unbeaten Rockets 15-3 in the final minutes.
Senior Brady Turner carried Routt (12-1) with 15 points. Senior Bryson Mossman, the tournament MVP for a second consecutive season, was limited to 11 points.
Routt senior forward/center Adam Abell was also named all-tournament first team but had just three points in the loss.
“We sort of knew what they were doing, but we couldn’t correct it,” Routt coach Will Whalen said. “The game was just going too fast in their minds. They were the better team tonight.”
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: North Mac boys basketball soaks up elusive Waverly Holiday title
Reporting by Bill Welt, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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