Hartsburg-Emden boys season ends with a regional loss to Peoria Christian

[February 22, 2017]  The Hartem Stags boys basketball season came to an end Tuesday night at the Class 1A Peoria Quest Charter Academy Regional.

The Stags (no. 6 seed) fell to Peoria Christian (no. 11 seed) by a heartbreaking score of 48-47.

The Stags led 17-4 at the end of the first quarter and even looked to be in pretty good shape at the half, with a 25-17 lead.

The Stags were still in control of the game with a 35-30 lead to close out the third quarter, but Peoria Christian came charging back.

Hartem was outscored 18-12 in the final quarter and that allowed Peoria Christian to sneak away with the upset win, 48-47 the final.

Following the season-ending loss, Hartem Head Coach Jason Garber said, "Yes it was a very tough loss for our guys, not the way we wanted the season to end. Peoria Christian made a strong run in the second half when Alec Hayes and Toni Coit-Kirk both had four fouls in the middle of the third quarter. With our two big guys down low (out of the game) Peoria Christian made a strong run and were able to fight their way back into game. They had a lot of momentum going into the fourth quarter and I had to put Alec and Toni
back in, but with them having to play a little more conservative with four fouls made a difference."

As far as the entire season goes, Coach Garber was proud of his Stags all year. "Overall I was extremely proud of our team and the support we
received from the community all year. The guys should be able to hold their heads high for their team and individual achievements they had during their careers. This was a team that worked extremely hard all year and they should be proud to the winning season."

Finally Coach Garber added, "I would like to thank everyone that supported Hartsburg-Emden basketball this year. It was a fun year."

Hartem ends the season with a 15-14 record.

Hartem 47

Hayes 18
Wolpert 9
Coit-Kirk 9
Baker 5
Vetter 4
Phillips 2

Peoria Christian 48

Remington 13
Pepper 12
Pierce 10
Hauter 7
Joseph 3
Post 2
Showalter 1

[Teena Lowery]