Charleston repeats at Superman Classic

METROPOLIS, Ill. — Charleston claimed the 36th annual Superman Classic with a 70-55 win over host Massac County on Saturday, Jan. 21.

PJ Farmer was named the tournament’s MVP, while Rico Coleman and Ko’Terrion Owens earned all-tournament honors for the Bluejays (15-5).

“I thought we played well,” said Charleston head coach Jamarcus Williams. “It was nice to see a little different style of play. We responded well to it. We stayed focused and did what we had to do.”

Charleston trailed by 15 points in the first half of the championship, but the team was able to narrow the lead to 33-26 at halftime a gain the lead with a couple of minutes remaining in the third quarter.

“They were making shots and we weren’t,” Williams said. “We were getting the shots we wanted, but they just weren’t falling. Instead of switching things up, we believed in our game plan and continued to force them to make shots. Our defense eventually wore on them, and the shots stopped falling for them and started falling for us.”

Farmer scored a game-high 19 and added eight rebounds, three steals and an assist.

“[Farmer] was tremendous,” Williams said. “He works hard on both ends of the court. He guards and anticipates well, and everyone knows he can put the ball in the basket. It wasn’t a surprise at all. He did a lot of scoring over there.”

Trey Stanback was the team’s next leading scorer with 16. He also had four rebounds, an assist and a steal.

Coleman and Owens scored 15 and 11, respectively. Coleman also had five rebounds, five steals, three assists and a block, while Owens added a game-high 13 rebounds and two steals.

Charleston will take on St. Mary’s (8-9) in the Show Me Champions Classic on Saturday, Jan. 28. in St. Louis.

“It’s going to take some high-level basketball,” Williams said. “It’s a big stage for us and everyone wants to play well in front of a big crowd. We just have to make sure we play harder and smarter than our opponent to come out with the win.”

CHAMPIONSHIP

__CHARLESTON 70, MASSAC COUNTY 55__

Charleston 12 14 19 25 — 70

Massac Co. 23 10 9 13 — 55

__Charleston (70) —__ PJ Farmer 19, Trey Stanback 16, Rico Coleman 15, Ko’Terrion Owens 11, Almareion Williams 9. FG: 26-56. FT: 25-64. F: 15. (3-pointers: Farmer 2. Fouled out: none.)

__Massac County (55) —__ Isaac Hosman 16, Kris Garnett 14, Brody Smallman 12, Ian Higgerson 6, Brady Bissell 5, Hunter Box 2. FG: 20-49. FT: 9-16. F: 21. (3-pointers: Smallman 3, Hosman 2, Garnett 1. Fouled out: none.)

SEMIFINAL

__CHARLESTON 79, GOREVILLE 54__

Goreville 12 19 14 9 — 54

Charleston 30 23 20 6 — 79

__Charleston (79) —__ PJ Farmer 26, Ko’Terrion Owens 20, Trey Stanback 13, Rico Coleman 11, Rommie Turner 2, Almareion Williams 2, Zachyran Thomas 2, Lane Morrow 2, Roy Wiley 1. FG: 30. FT: 15-25. F: 14. (3-pointers: Stanback 2, Farmer 2. Fouled out: none.)