Classic Tigers/Vikings battle - Versailles wins Holiday Tournament

Versailles freshman Kyle Ahrens goes to the bucket for two of his team high 15 points in the championship game of the Versailles Holiday Basketball Tournament.
The Tigers beat Miami East 58-49 in a very close game.
CNO Photos by Dylan Knoop

By George Starks

VERSAILLES- When Miami East took the floor against Versailles Friday, it could not have been a better scenario. Before Miami East joined the Cross County Conference and Versailles hooked up with the MAC, the two schools were fierce rivals in the Southwest Rivers Conference (SRC).

Friday night, that rivalry was renewed. Miami East was not to be intimidated by Versailles. In fact, it looked as if the Vikings had never missed a beat since joining the CCC.

Up for the challenge, Miami East gave the host Tigers all they wanted and then some before Versailles posted a 58-49 victory, to claim the trophy for the first Versailles Holiday basketball tournament.

“It’s a great feeling to win this tournament and keep the trophy here,” said Versailles coach Scott McEldowney. “This is a traveling trophy and I hope it will stay here for many years to come.”

While Versailles ended up on the smiling side of the scoreboard, it didn’t start out so well for he Tigers. With 4:36 remaining in the opening quarter, Miami East had got off to a 10-2 lead before McEldowney called for time.

“We got out of the gate slow and I think we were extending a little too much and that’s out of character for us,” McEldowney said. “Once we settled down in the first quarter, we played some pretty good defense the rest of the game. We gave up 18 in the first quarter. Take that 18 away and we held a pretty good team down.”

The Tigers defense held the Vikes to just eight points the rest of the frame and trailed 18-17 after one. With both teams playing classic defense, Versailles managed to hold Miami East to a mere six points in the second frame. On the flip side, the Vikings defense was just as stingy, holding Versailles to nine points and a 26-24 score at the break in favor of Versailles.

“We got sloppy on defense in the last four or five minutes of the first quarter,” said Vikings coach Allen Mack. “We had to tighten it up. This is a tough place to play in.”

Led by freshman standout Kyle Ahrens with 15 points, Versailles put four in double figures in scoring. Behind Ahrens, Chad Winner netted 14, Mitchell Campbell 11 and 10 from Ethan Bruns, The Tiger offense was never without point production.

“I said before the start of the season that I could have four or five guys in double figures every night,” McEldowney admitted. “Tonight, everyone stepped up.”

Holding a slim two point lead at the break, Miami East had a one point edge heading into the final frame, up 35-34.

Ahrens dropped a trey at the start of the final stanza and the race to the finish was on. Even though the Tigers would never trail again, they would never lead by more than four points at any given time, that being 45-41 with 2:31 remaining. Versailles took a 48-41 lead at 2:08 0n a shot in the pint by Ahrens.

Fouled in the process, the freshman would complete the three point play giving Versailles a comfortable lead.

“This was a team effort,” McEldowney pointed out. “These kids really like each other and it carries over off the court. They do thing together and that is a big thing for us as a team.”

Versailles, 6-0, will play at Ft. Recovery Friday.

In the consolation game, Anna had little problem with Brookville, topping the Blue Devils 60-38.

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