DIAMOND, Mo. — In a thriller between close rivals, second-seeded Thomas Jefferson upended seventh-seeded McAuley Catholic 45-40 on Monday night in the opening round of the Gem City Classic boys basketball tournament.
The game was deadlocked at 40 when Thomas Jefferson senior guard Kip Atteberry hit a corner trey after an inbounds play with 1:30 to play to give the Cavaliers the lead for good.
After a defensive stop, Thomas Jefferson’s Tony Touma hit two clutch free throws with 25 seconds remaining to seal the win.
Tyler Brouhard scored 17 points with three treys to go along with four assists and three blocked shots to lead Thomas Jefferson, while Jay Ball added 15 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks.
Atteberry added six points on a pair of 3-pointers for the Cavaliers, who improved to 3-0.
Michael Parrigon and Kable Reichardt scored nine points apiece for McAuley (0-2), while Bradley Wagner contributed eight points.
The Cavaliers led 10-9 at the end of the first quarter, but the game was tied at 20 at intermission. Thomas Jefferson led by two, 34-32, entering the fourth period.
Thomas Jefferson will meet sixth-seeded Galena in the tourney semifinals at 7:30 on Wednesday night.
McAuley plays third-seeded Diamond in the consolation semifinals at 7:30 on Wednesday night at the middle school. Galena topped Diamond 59-56.
In other first round games, top-seeded El Dorado Springs nipped Carthage’s junior varsity squad 44-43 and fourth-seeded Mount Vernon topped fifth-seeded Sarcoxie 40-30.
The girls tournament begins on Tuesday night, with third-seeded College Heights taking on sixth-seeded McAuley at 8:30 p.m.
