EDWARDSVILLE – Metro East Lutheran had a 1-2 punch in their Friday night MEL Thanksgiving Turkey Tipoff Classic semifinal win over Waterloo Gibault that sent them to the final against Marquette Catholic.
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DaMonte Bean had 17 points against the Hawks and Cooper Krone added 10 in the win.
“What we were looking to do was really reverse the ball,” Krone, a junior, said after the game. “We were passing the ball probably once and then getting a shot,” Krone said. “What coach (Anthony Smith) wants us to do is run it through a couple of times (before getting a shot off).”
Krone hit a three-point shot in the late going that proved to be decisive for the Knights, but Krone wasn't particularly happy about the circumstances where he hit the shot. “I wasn't really too excited about it because it was off a first pass,” Krone said. “We really didn't run the offense through, so it didn't mean much.”
MEL held the Hawks to 13 points in the first half, taking a 26-13 lead into the locker room at the long break. “I think it was our hustle and communication on defense that really led us to get after the ball,” Bean, a junior, said.
As far as his 17-point performance that led the Knights in the win, Bean said. “I came out thinking we need to be dominate, what we need to get the team a win,” Bean said of the big performance on Friday night. “We need to work on running our offense and giving more options than we already have because we're limited to one, and if they close that one option off, they basically got us finished.”
The Knights host Lutheran North at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Hooks Gym before taking on Marquette in Alton at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5.
