Bill Lusk | WVOW Sports
MAN Man outscored Van by 18 points Friday night to pull away from Van for a 67-44 victory in the opening round of the second annual Stephen Caldwell Holiday Tournament at the Man Memorial Fieldhouse.
Noah Frazier led Man in scoring with 13 points, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers in the third quarter that saw the Hillbillies outscore the Bulldogs, 18-11.
Jake Endicott, Moses Hicks and Justin Mullins combined for 15 fourth quarter points to help Man (2-0) pull away from Van and earn a berth in Saturday's championship game against Calhoun County, who defeated Meadow Bridge, 67-40, in Friday's first game.
Van (0-3) fell behind early as Man scored the game's first five points before the two schools exchanged the baskets. Trailing 9-4, Van closed the quarter on an 11-2 run to take a 15-13 lead after one quarter.
Man held Van to one field goal in the second quarter and forced 20 first half turnovers to take a 26-19 lead into the locker room.
Turnovers were an issue for Van as the Bulldogs turned the ball over 34 times. Despite the turnovers, the Bulldogs trimmed a 16-point third quarter to 11 points, 44-33, on Markie Meadows' 3-point play with 7:42 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Van never got any closer than 11 points the rest of the way as Man ended the game on a 23-11 run.
Meadows led Van with a game-high 14 points and Christian Valle added 10 points.
Man 67, Van 44
Van Bulldogs (0-3)
Valle 3 4-9 10, Meadows, A. 2 0-0 4, Meadows, M. 5 2-3 14, Price 2 0-0 4, Kessinger 3 0-0 6, Johner 2 2-2 6. Totals: 17 8-14 44.
Man Hillbillies (2-0)
Endicott 5 1-3 11, Booth 0 4-6 4, Sanders 3 0-0 6, Hicks, M. 5 1-2 11, Hicks, B. 3 0-0 6, White 1 0-0 2, Cantrell 2 0-0 4, Frazier 5 0-1 13, Wingler 2 0-0 4, Mullins 2 1-2 6. Totals: 28 7-13 67.
Van 15 4 11 12- 44
Man 13 13 18 23- 67
3-point field goals_Van 2 (Meadows, M. 2), Man 4 (Frazier 3, Mullins).