WEST FRANKFORT — The Herrin Tigers made clutch plays down the stretch to come away with a 57-52 win over West Frankfort on the opening night of the boys side of the Midwinter Classic.
The Tigers built a seven point first quarter lead, only to watch the Redbirds fight back to grab a 33-31 lead at the half.
A back and forth third quarter finished with an Isaiah Thompson three-pointer to give West Frankfort a 43-40 lead heading to the fourth.
Herrin senior Brandon Anthony took over from there. The senior led all scorers with 18, but it was his work directing the Tigers’ offense down the stretch that was the difference. Anthony set up Jake Baumgarte, Reice Hartline, and Luke LeQuatte for key baskets in crunch time to put Herrin in a spot to win.
The Tigers had to dodge Thompson’s potential game-tying three-point attempt in the closing seconds, before Anthony sealed the deal with a pair of free throws.
Andrew Cunningham led West Frankfort with 14. Paxton Griffith added 10. LeQuatte tallied 15 for Herrin, and Hartline scored nine of his 11 in the second half.
The tournament will continue Friday night with Herrin facing Cairo at 6:00 followed by West Frankfort and Marion.