The SI Elite 8th grade AAU, which features athletes from Salem, traveled to St Charles this weekend for a Reebok Series tournament.
The Elite fell in the title game to Mt Vernon 41-36 in a tight game till the end. Nathaniel Marlow led them with 9, Noah Nix finished with 6, Colton Starnes added 5 with Zerek Koch, Xavier Koch and Lyric Black adding 2 points each. Xavier Koch was named Co-MVP of the tournament.
Following the game, head coach Tim Koch said it was a “superb effort by each and every player this weekend. I’m proud of each player and of our team.” He added, “seeing how much this team has improved from the time we started together makes me believe in this group even more.”
In the first game Sunday the Elite pulled out a 31-13 win over the BLA Trojans. Xavier led the Elite with 10 and Marlow added 7. Black and Nix had 4 points each with Starnes chipping in 2.
The Elite opened the tournament with a 42-30 loss to Mt Vernon. In that game, Noah Nix played big and finished with 14 points. Marlow added 9. That was followed by a 31-27 win over the Midwest Illini Bucks out of Springfield. Xavier led the Elite with 9 followed closely by Marlow with 8 and Nix with 5.
The Elite return to action December 9-10 at the Reebok Series Snoball Showdown in St Louis. The team is sponsored by Paul Shields All-State Insurance, Centralia Monken, Crouse Funeral Home in Salem and Jaggers Doggy Day Care.
