By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Forsyth Panthers don’t mind the grind – or getting in the dirt.
On a night when perimeter shots weren’t falling, and one of their best dunkers had to atone for a mishap, the Panthers willed their way to a tournament title.
Behind a game-high 29 points from tournament MVP Chris Halbrook, Forsyth held off Galena 69-63 to win the Spokane Invitational on Friday night.
The Panthers did most of their damage from inside the arc – they netted just two 3-pointers against Galena’s 2-3 zone defense.
“We came out and couldn’t hit a shot. We found a way (to score) under the basket and that was working for us,” Halbrook said. “Games happen like that. We got a dirty win, but we found a way to win and get the job done.”
Said senior guard TaMarkus Holmes, who added 12 points: “I’d rather have a dirty win than a pretty loss any day of the week.”
Forsyth led throughout the second half, but Galena refused to wilt. A potential game-tying 3-pointer by the Bears with one minute left was off the mark.
Cody Jones scored 20, John Bailey had 16 points and Jack Stephens added 13 points to pace the Class 2 Bears (12-4 overall).
Forsyth shot 5-for-8 at the free throw line in the fourth quarter and 11-for-18 overall.
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“We talk about ‘grinding out wins’ when it’s not pretty,” said Forsyth coach Kevin Smith. “Being in the grind and seeing what happens. It was a grind tonight. Galena played well.”
Holmes helped Forsyth maintain its lead with a pair of dunks down the stretch. While Holmes had three slams in Forsyth’s opening round win over Verona, he came up short in his first dunk attempt on Friday night.
“I got hung up the first time,” Holmes said. “The second one, I heard Coach Smith saying, ‘Just score it!’ I just thought, ‘Come on, coach, I’m going to go dunk it this time.’”
Cooper Lais and Griffin Coen scored nine points apiece for Forsyth. The Panthers (11-6 overall) entered the game averaging 66 points per contest on the season.
Forsyth is utilizing some newfound depth. The Panthers had to adjust their rotations early on after injuries to the likes of Holmes, Coen and Thomas Strahan in the first two months of the season.
“We wanted to press the full game and see if we can get (Galena) a little tired,” Smith said. “Plus, we’re going to play several guys and go up and down. What we do, as Forsyth, is try to play several guys and everyone has their roles.
“We’re getting healthy, which is good. I think we’re moving in the right direction at the right time.”
The Panthers have big aspirations as February looms.
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Forsyth hopes to earn an outright Mid-Lakes Conference title this season after splitting the league crown last year. Winning the program’s first district title in about two decades would be next on the to-do list.
“We’re ready to get over that hump this year,” Holmes said.
Galena will participate in the Sparta Trojan Invitational next week. Forsyth opens Mid-Lakes Conference play on Jan. 27 at Buffalo.
“Every day, we want to keep getting better,” Smith said. “Now we’re going to focus on conference play. Then, we’ll focus on district play. We’re just trying to stay-level headed.”
Forsyth 69, Galena 63
Galena 18 13 19 13 — 63
Forsyth 16 18 20 15 — 69
Galena (12-4 overall) – Cody Jones 20, John Bailey 16, Jack Stephens 13, Bobby Harris 9, Jaxon Foster 5
Forsyth (11-6 overall) – Chris Halbrook 29, TaMarkus Holmes 12, Cooper Lais 9, Griffin Coen 9, Thomas Strahan 6, Brenden Halbrook 2, Ben Boyer 2
