By Ryan Storz
The points did not come easy for the Eagles against Fredericktown, but they came in bunches.
Sullivan won their first round game against the Blackcats at the Potosi Tournament, 67-39, on Nov. 30, their first of the season.
The Eagles went into halftime, tied 25-25, to seventh-seeded Fredericktown. Everything changed in the second half, outscoring their opponents, 23-10, in the third quarter and then finishing them off with a 19-4 in the fourth quarter.
It was the second year in a row Sullivan blasted Fredericktown in the tournament opener. They did it despite shooting 40 percent from the field and a disappointing 10-22 from the free throw line.
Tyler Garner led Sullivan with 17 points on 7-13 shooting. He hauled in nine rebounds, five coming on the offensive glass. Kyle Roehrs was coming off of a 23-point game against Parkview and he poured in 16. Roehrs finished with 10 rebounds.
Tyler Hagy, Caleb Killian and Codee Stamp all had eight points for the Blackcats, who shot 38 percent from the field and turned the ball over 33 times. Sullivan’s Ross Arteaga had an astounding 12 steals. Killian turned the ball over eight times, while Luke Cureton had six. The Eagles had 23 steals for the game.
Sullivan had their own problems taking care of the ball, with 17 turnovers. It was a disappointing figure, but the Eagles dominated on the offensive boards with 20 rebounds.
Johnny Bell and Arteaga each scored in double figures for the Eagles, who cracked the 60-point barrier again. Arteaga had two three-pointers and Bell had one. They were the only two Eagles to score from beyond the arc.
Adam Lindemann had seven points, and Blake Fuchs and Patrick Moody came off the bench to score two points apiece. Moody had five rebounds and Fuchs had three.