By Josie Howell, The St. Clair Times
GASTON — The Springville boys basketball team won three straight games to claim the Gaston Christmas tournament crown.
The Tigers beat Piedmont 50-38 in the tournament opener and Moody 63-48 in the semifinals before polishing off Class 6A, Area 13 rival Pell City 59-35.
The Tigers head into Christmas break at 15-2, including 3-0 in Area 13.
“I am really proud of our team,” Springville coach Jeremy Monceaux said. “Anytime you get to compete in a tournament format with a championship on the line, it gives your team a great opportunity to improve and grow in meaningful games.
“It feels really good to bring a championship trophy home to our Springville community and I hope this experience will help our team in big games later in the season.”
To kick off the tournament, they beat Piedmont, with Derek Moore leading with 10 points and seven rebounds. Carson Kersch posted eight points and five assists.
In the semifinals, the Tigers were faced with county rival Moody. While the Blue Devils put up a good fight, Springville raced out for a 19-3 lead in the first quarter to stay ahead and take the win. Kersch once again picked up his team scoring 16 points. He was 4-for-8 from the 3-point line. Collin Lockhart provided a boost with 11 points.
The championship game came down to Springville and Pell City, with the Tigers winning by 24.
The duo of Moore and Kersch once again led the Tigers, as Springville got 17 points and seven rebounds from Moore and 12 points and five assists from Kersch.
Coming back from a knee injury and sitting out some of the season, Kersch was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
The Tigers will return to their home court as they host the Leeds Green Wave on Jan. 4.
This story originally appeared in The St. Clair Times and is used with permission.
