After Urban Prep upset RB 75-72 in the opening round of the Bill VandeMerkt Thanksgiving Classic, RB bounced back with three victories to claim the championship on Saturday. The terrific trio of Damonta Henry, Luke Nortier and Mike Ljuboja, three selections on the All-Tournament Team, led the way for RB (3-1).
In Game 2 against Neuqua Valley, RB went on a 25-13 run down the stretch to pull out a 54-50 win. Nortier scored 21 points and pulled down eight rebounds, while Henry (19.5 points per game) turned in a solid all-court performance with 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Henry went on to be named the tournament’s MVP.
The Bulldogs finally found some breathing room in an 89-47 rout of Rich Central. The team jumped out to a 26-0 lead and never looked back as Ljuboja posted 16 points and eight boards. Andrew Hanley scored 13 points and Jordan Dahms tallied 10 points (both career-highs).
RB earned a measure of revenge by beating tournament defending champion Brother Rice 65-57 for the title on Saturday. After the teams battled to a 29-29 halftime tie, Henry dropped 20 points in the second half and Ljuboja had 17 points and seven rebounds for the game.
