Merrillville made the Huntington Holiday Hoops Tournament championship game for the second straight season. Last year the Pirates beat DAC-rival Lake Central in the final. Hamilton Southeastern entered the game at 9-1 with the loss at the hands of North Central. The finale to the Huntington Holiday Hoops Tournament was fantastic.

It was a shootout from the start as Merrillville and Hamilton Southeastern combined for 18 points in the first two minutes of the game. HSE connected on its first six shots. Merrillville was just as hot as the Pirates rode Jonah Jackson’s shooting. Jackson knocked down three three-pointers in the opening period for Merrillville.

It was a balanced effort for both teams in the second quarter. The game swayed back and forth before Hamilton Southeastern took a three-point lead into halftime.

Senior forward Zach Gunn took over the game in the third. Gunn scored 16 points in the period but he also made an impact on defense and the boards. He scored inside and outside to give the Royals an eight-point advantage heading to the fourth.

Gunn and sophomore Aaron Etherington helped push the Hamilton Southeastern lead to 14 in the final quarter. Senior Cameron Wilbon tried to get Merrillville back into contention but HSE kept making plays on the offensive end. Wilbon scored 13 points in the fourth including three three-pointers. He rarely looks for his outside shot, so that was surprising.

Hamilton Southeastern walked away with the 83-75 victory for the Huntington Holiday Hoops Tournament title.

Zach Gunn finished with 30 points and eight rebounds. Aaron Etherington added 16 points and six assists. Noah Smith, Conner Rotterman and Nick Bowman all scored eight.

Cameron Wilbon tallied 21 points, six rebounds and four assists for Merrillville. Jonah Jackson added 18 and Mileek McMillan had 15 points.