The Greenview Tournament provided the eight teams taking part the challenge of playing three games in just over 24 hours.
The West Prairie Cyclones rose to that challenge Friday and Saturday at Greenview High School, winning all three games and the tournament championship.
The Cyclones opened play Friday with a hard-fought 56-50 victory over Madison in the opening round.
West Prairie trailed 37-30 late in the third quarter before scoring seven points in the final 16 seconds in pulling even.
Holden Coplan sank a three-pointer with his brother Braden Coplan being fouled on the play away from the ball. Braden sank bothe free throws in completing the five-point play that made it 37-35.
Holden Coplan then recorded a steal on Madison’s next possession and was fouled attempting the layup in the final second.
He made both free throws to tie the score at 37-37 entering the final eight minutes.
The fourth period started with Ryan Clark scoring on a pair of layups that gave West Prairie the lead for good, capping the 11-0 run.
Braden Coplan topped West Prairie with 24 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Clark added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Holden Coplan chipped in nine points, eight rebounds, three steals and three assists.
Matt Whitman recorded six points, three rebounds and three assists for the Cyclones, while Eli DeCounter added five points and a team-leading 10 rebounds.
Madison dropped to 3-8 with the loss.
The win propelled the Cyclones into the semifinals against South Fulton.
It was a rematch of the game played Dec. 5 in Astoria that saw West Prairie cruise to a 63-39 victory.
History would repeat itself in round two as the Cyclones seized control early on the way to a 70-42 win.
West Prairie raced out to a 27-11 lead after the opening eight minutes and built a 43-22 halftime advantage.
The Cyclone lead was 61-36 entering the final frame.
Braden Coplan led the Cyclones with 26 points, along with three rebounds.
Whitman added 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals, while DeCounter finished with nine points, six rebounds and three assists.
Ivan Beck scored seven points, while Holden Coplan added six points and five assists. Clark scored five points and grabbed six rebounds, while Brody Cordell and Austin Nelson added four and two points respectively.
South Fulton slipped to 1-9.
Saturday afternoon’s championship contest was also a rematch as West Prairie faced North Fulton.
The two teams played in Cuba on Dec. 12 with the Wildcats recording a 50-38 victory.
The rematch belonged to the Cyclones as they defeated North Fulton 42-31 in capturing the championship.
West Prairie upped its season record to 11-4, having won 10 of its last 11 games.
North Fulton fell to 9-4. The Cyclone defense carried the day for the victors. West Prairie led 11-6 after the opening eight minutes and held a 21-11 halftime advantage.
The Cyclones maintained a 30-21 lead heading into the final stanza.
Braden Coplan had 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Clark added 16 points that included 6-of-6 from two-point range. He also tallied nine rebounds and two steals.
DeCounter chipped in six points, three assists and three steals, while Holden Coplan recorded three rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Whitman also had four rebounds. DeCounter and Clark were named to the all-tournament team, while Braden Coplan was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Players, averaging 24 points per game.
West Prairie’s next contest will be Jan. 5 at Barry Western.
