Pirates top Quinton in Porum tourney title game
Gore won the Cross Telephone Invitational championship Saturday night inside the Porum Event Center by defeating Quinton 53-40.
GORE HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL
Gore won the Cross Telephone Invitational championship Saturday night inside the Porum Event Center by defeating Quinton 53-40.
“I think that’s our first tournament win, first championship win with these guys so it was a big one,” Gore first-year head coach T.W. Estes said after the game. “We made it more difficult than we needed to. They’ve got a really good program, a couple of really good kids who shoot the ball really well so we knew we were going to have to guard them.
“I know with this particular group nobody’s been on a team that’s won a tournament, so it’s exciting for those kids.”
Gore took its first lead of the game (3-2) early in the first period Saturday night on a tradition three-point play by Noah Cooper before Quinton reclaimed the advantage. A 3-pointer from the wing and pair of foul shots by Ben Kirkpatrick late in the quarter tied the score at 12-all and Jackson Duke also hit a 3-pointer for the Pirates.
The Pirates led 17-12 with 5:20 to go in the second stanza following Duke’s jumper in the lane and Keigan Reid’s corner 3-pointer. After Quinton’s Eli Blankenship made a 3-pointer Gore went on a 9-0 run and eventually led 29-18 at the half. Duke and Cooper totaled five points apiece in the period and Kirkpatrick added four while Blankenship registered all of Quinton’s points (6).
Cooper scored eight of his gamehigh 22 points in the third quarter and Aidan Dickerson had four as the Pirates added a point (14-13) to their advantage. Josiah Fitzer recorded eight points for Quinton in the stanza.
In the final eight minutes Cooper (6 points) went 4-for-5 at the foul line to help the Pirates increase their lead (109).
Trailing Cooper in scoring for Gore in the game were Kirkpatrick and Duke (10 points apiece), Reid (5), Dickerson (4) and Journey Shells (2).
Fitzer (17 points) and Blankenship (15) were Quinton’s leading scorers.
GORE BOYS 47, GANS 37 (THURSDAY) Gore’s Noah Cooper scored a gamehigh 26 points Thursday night at Porum as the Pirates (9-3 overall) defeated the Grizzlies (2-8) in the tournament semifinal game.
The Pirates led 17-13 after one period and Cooper and Gans’ Logan Weese (9 points and a 3-pointer apiece) led their respective teams in scoring. Aidan Dickerson added four points to Gore’s total.
Each team recorded 11 points in the second quarter and Gore led 28-24 at the intermission. Cooper totaled seven points in the period and Weese and Marc Tipton registered seven and four points, respectively, for the Grizzlies.
Gore added two points (9-7) to its advantage in the third frame and Cooper (6 points) and Gans’ Caiden Kennedy (3) were the leading scorers.
Behind the scoring of Jackson Duke and Cooper (4 points apiece) the Pirates increased their lead (10-6) in the final eight minutes.
Trailing Cooper in scoring for Gore in the game were Dickerson and Duke (8 points each), Keigan Reid and Journey Shells (2 each) and Ben Kirkpatrick (1).
Weese led the Grizzlies in scoring with 18 points and also registering points for Gans were Tipton (8), Mason Clifton (6), Kennedy (3) and Nakota White (2).
GORE BOYS 57, MIDWAY 24 (LAST MONDAY) Gore advanced to the semifinals of the Cross Telephone Invitational Tournament in Porum last Monday with its decisive 57-24 first round win over Midway.
In the first period Aidan Dickerson (5 points) and Jackson Duke made two 2-point baskets apiece, Noah Cooper went 4-for-4 at the foul line and Journey Shells added three points as the Pirates took a 16-7 lead. Tristen Wolfe registered five points for the Chargers.
The Pirates added 18 points (213) to their advantage in the second quarter and providing most of Gore’s scoring were Tate Brooksher (6 points), Cain Cooper (5) and Bryon McDuffie (3). Brooksher and Cooper each hit a 3-pointer in the period.
Noah (7 points) and Cain Cooper made a 3-pointer apiece for Gore in the third stanza and McDuffie recorded four points as the Pirates increased their lead (18-7). Wolfe scored five points for Midway.
The Chargers trimmed five points (72) off the deficit the final eight minutes.
Noah Cooper (11 points), Cain Cooper (8), Shells and McDuffie (7 each), Duke and Brooksher (6 apiece), Dickerson (5), Keigan Reid, Ben Kirkpatrick and Logan Markou (2 each) and Bryson Thouvenel (1) scored for the Pirates (7-3 overall) in the contest.
Scoring for Midway (0-9) were Wolfe (12 points), Jonathon Reed (6), Jordyn Coale (5) and Jonathan Mitcham (1).