In a game heard on WHOW and all its digital platforms, Keaton Graves and the Clinton Maroons struck first with a three and never looked back, and beat the Buffalo Tri-City Tornadoes 80-35 in non-conference boys basketball action in Mt. Pulaski on Monday night.
The Maroons focused on defense in a game filled with poke-checks, double teams, and the full-court press. It paid off for them in the turnover game.
Keaton Graves started out hot with 14 points in the first quarter and finished with 27. Brock Wilson had 13 points while Jaeden Bell added 11. Clinton shot 77.8% from the free-throw line and made eight threes as a team.
Buffalo Tri-City was led by 6'4" senior Hill Muir, who scored 14 points, with eight of them coming in the first quarter. No other Tornadoes scored in double digits.
With the win, the Maroons start the season at 1-0 while Buffalo Tri-City falls to 0-1.
The Maroons will return to Mt. Pulaski to take on Illini Central at 5:00 PM on the third night of the Bill Rucks Memorial Tournament on Wednesday.
Tune into the next Clinton Sports broadcast when the Maroons host Maroa-Forsyth on December 5th. Tip-off is at 7:30 PM, and you can hear all the action on WHOW and all its digital platforms.
Check out highlights of the game by finding ILsportswire on your preferred social media platform.
