CARLINVILLE – It didn’t take long Friday night for the Calhoun Warriors to take control in the second semifinal of the night at the 58th Annual Carlinville Holiday Tournament.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
A quick start saw the Warriors open up to an early 8-0 lead over the Litchfield Purple Panthers, eventually leading 19-12 after the first quarter.
Calhoun sophomore Lane Eilerman scored all eight of those opening points and finished with 14 points in the first quarter. He finished the half with 24 before eventually ending the night with an even 30 points.
Calhoun kept the Panthers at bay for the rest of the first half, owning a 39-26 lead at halftime.
Back-to-back three-pointers from Jack Zipprich and Jack Hinrichs Graner saw Calhoun immediately increase its lead to 45-26 and later 52-41 after three quarters.
The Warriors went on to win by a final score of 71-54, improving to 6-4 on the season. They will now play top-seeded Staunton in the finals. The Bulldogs beat the host Cavaliers 56-42 in the first semifinal.
Eilerman led all scorers with 30 points. Drew Wallendorf and Connor Longnecker each added nine points, Hinrichs Graner had seven, Zipprich had six, and Jake Snyders had five.
For Litchfield, Nate Schaake led with 12 points while Harrison Thomas and Keenan Logan had 10 each. The Panthers will play Carlinville in the third-place game on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Calhoun will later play Staunton at 7:30 p.m.
The Warriors and Bulldogs met last Saturday in Calhoun County, and it was Staunton with a 65-53 win. The Dogs are 11-2 on the season.
