Story by Steven Stilt
The wait is over for the Centralia Orphans. CHS overcame a rocky start on Saturday night to knock off Marist 50-40 for the Orphans’ first Centralia Holiday Tournament title since 2014.
Marist jumped out to a five-point lead midway through the opening quarter, but Centralia recovered to grab a two-point advantage at the end of the period and a nine-point lead at the half.
The Orphans’ lead ballooned to as many as 17 points in the second half before the Redhawks took advantage of missed free throws down the stretch to briefly trim the margin to single digits.
CHS coach Lee Bennett won his fifth holiday tournament crown, two with Alton, and now three with Centralia. Bennett says his team’s character has been a major factor in their success this season.
“I’ve been with some guys who have not been enabled, not been entitled. They can be held accountable. Any kids we have that may want to fall into that they can. I’ve got some really strong senior leadership.”
The Orphans’ Cruz Harlan was named tournament MVP after scoring 14 points in the title game and averaging better than 15 per game during the tournament. Michael Organ and Dustyn Collins posted nine points each for CHS against Marist.
Centralia secured its spot in the championship earlier in the day by clobbering Evanston 61-36 in the semifinal round. The Orphans held a 29-22 lead at halftime and broke the game open by scoring the first 12 points of the second half.
Harlan went 4 for 6 from beyond the arc and scored a game-high 21 points for the Orphans. Collins added 11 points and Daryle Jones dished out seven assists for Centralia.
Orphan’s Cruz Harlan gets the Tournament MVP award from Centralia High School Principal Reid Shipley. Photo by Pat Hodges.
Jones was named to the all-tournament first team. Joining Harlan and Jones on the first team were Mt. Vernon’s Navontae Nesbit, Evanston’s Theo Rocca, and Marist’s Darshan Thomas.
The all-tournament second team included Glenwood’s Cameron Appenzeller, Alton’s Semaj Stampley, MHEA’s Andrew Thomas, Ferguson’s Jordan Gonzalez, and Carmel’s Kaleb Jackson.
Mt. Vernon finished fourth in the tournament. The Rams fell to Marist 53-43 in the semifinals. Dave Barnes led Mt. Vernon with 13 points, while Cale Maurer had 12 and Navontae Nesbit had 10.
The Rams then dropped a 61-42 decision to Evanston in the third-place game. Nesbit dropped 15 points and Maurer had 11 in the loss.
In other action on Saturday, MHEA beat Belleville West 59-51 to claim the consolation bracket title and Glenwood topped Alton 40-33 in the fifth-place contest.
Cruz Harland goes up for a shot in the championship game with Marist. Photo by Pat Hodges.
The Orphan’s Dustyn Collins works the ball during Saturday night’s championship game. Photo by Pat Hodges.
The Orphan’s Michael Organ goes up for a shot in the championship game. Photo by Pat Hodges.
The large US flag is brought onto the court for the singing of the National Anthem before the start of the championship game. Photo by Pat Hodges.
