In the first two minutes, Burlington Central center Duncan Ozburn blocked three Aurora Christian shots. It appeared the Eagles would have a tough time getting any offense in the paint the rest of the way.
But the 12th-seeded Eagles found a way, taking the lead late in the first quarter and controlling the game the rest of the way for a 63-56 victory for third place in the Plano Christmas Classic.
“We came out hard and really got after it after the opening few minutes,” said Aurora Christian coach Pat McNamara.
Zach Singer led Aurora Christian (9-6) with 19 points. The Eagles went 4-1 in the tournament, losing only to top-seeded Ottawa, which played later in the championship game against Morris.
Aurora Christian’s Pat McNamara may have had the signature play of the night late in a tightly-contested first quarter. The 5-foot-11 sophomore took it to Ozburn and shot over the 6-9 senior for a bucket and an 18-14 lead.
From that point, Ozburn was a non-factor and ended up with three points, nine rebounds, and four blocks.
“We told the guys to keep putting the ball up, even if they got a few blocked,” said coach McNamara. “And then get down the court on the break and see if we can get (Ozburn) and the other guys winded.”
Singer was outstanding in the third period. He had a putback, three steals that led to six points, and a pair of free throws as the Eagles opened up a 51-39 lead after three periods.
“We’re happy with third place,” said Singer. “We were looser and not as emotional as Saturday night, just focused on getting the win.”
The second seed Rockets (9-4) came back to within seven points on two occasions in the fourth quarter. But Jonathan Harrell, who battled foul trouble and finished with nine points, controlled the ball against the Central press to maintain the Eagle lead.
Reed Hunnicutt led Burlington Central with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, and the 5-8 guard added eight rebounds. Brett Rau contributed 10 points but shot only 3-of-15 from the field.
As a team, the Rockets connected on 19-of-54 shots from the field, and were 1 of 12 from beyond the arc in the second half against the Eagle zone defense.
“Sometimes you live by the three, you die by it,” said Burlington Central coach Brett Porto. “They (the Eagles) have some good length and force you to hit jump shots out of their zone.”
Steve Buhrt was a presence off the bench for Aurora Christian. At 6-6, he battled Ozburn and finished with 13 points and seven boards, hitting all seven foul shots.
