CENTRALIA — The Alton Redbirds advanced to the semifinals of the 83rd annual Centralia Holiday Tournament with a 64-53 victory over Chicago Harding Academy on Tuesday evening.
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The game remained tied after the first quarter, but Harding closed the second quarter with a half-court shot at the buzzer, trailing Alton 24-22 at halftime. Alton coach Dylan Dudley praised his team’s resilience in the locker room after the half.
“Great fight tonight I told them in the locker room. Harding is a physical team, but I thought we handled them. We had a few mistakes, but we were able to fix them,” Dudley said.
Alton led 44-40 after the third quarter and then outscored Harding 20-13 in the final period to secure the win. The Redbirds shot 63% from the floor compared to Harding’s 42%.
Defensively, Jamauri Green contributed five blocked shots for Alton, while Semaji Stampley recorded four steals.
Offensively, Alton was led by Ryan Howard’s 24 points and Stampley’s 15 points. Harding’s top scorers were Kodi Brooks and Jevin Crochrell, each with 16 points.
Alton will face either Centralia or Chicago King in the tournament semifinals on Wednesday.
