The Wolverines’ Cameron Kroupa was the MVP at Maxwell’s 72nd Annual Irene Wells Memorial Tournament.

MAXWELL, CA (MPG) – Although at times it wasn’t always pretty, the Biggs Wolverines, with a tough inside game and timely outside shots, proved themselves the class of the field at Maxwell’s 72nd Annual Irene Wells Memorial Tournament where they defeated Williams, Lower Lake and the host Panthers to claim the crown.

Opening play against Williams, the Wolverines jumped out to a 21- 6 lead but allowed the Yellowjackets back into the game over the second and third quarters before holding on for the 55-49 victory.

Skylar Long had a huge game with a 20-point, 16-rebound double-double, Cameron Kroupa tossed in 16 points and handed out eight assists while Ryan Flowers pulled down 14 rebounds.

Biggs’ Skylar Long was named to the All-Tournament team at the 72nd Irene Wells Tournament in Maxwell.

Yet, it was the second game against Lower Lake the following evening that was the best game of the tournament by far and required some last second heroics to lift the Wolverines to a 53-52 win over the Trojans.

Having run the floor well and being relentless on the boards, Biggs had an 11-point lead midway through the third quarter, but Lower Lake whittled away, capitalizing on turnovers and missed opportunities to overtake the Wolverines 51-48 with 17 seconds left in the game.

However, missed free throws opened the door for Biggs after Kroupa cut the deficit to two points to make the score 52-50 in the Trojans favor with six ticks left on the clock.

Fouling in the backcourt to stop the clock, Lower Lake missed both chances from the charity stripe giving the Wolverines one last chance with two seconds remaining after Coach Roscoe Deel called a timeout to set up a play.

Biggs’ sophomore Hudson Brewer was the hero of the Wolverines’ win over Lower Lake at Maxwell’s Tournament and was also named to the All-Tournament squad.

Biggs then executed it to perfection getting the ball to Hudson Brewer who buried attempt from beyond the arc as time ran out.

After hitting the game-winner, Brewer, a sophomore who plays the game with poise, said he was simply trying to overcome his nerves prior to getting the ball in his hands.

“Knowing that I was going to take the shot, I was just trying to calm myself down and was hoping that it would go in.”

For Deel, the game was indicative of his team’s season thus far, but also of the confidence he has in Brewer.

“It’s been a grind for us all year,” explained Deel. “There is a learning curve for sure. We usually are able to close out games, but we had lots of turnovers tonight. We are just fortunate that our guy hit a shot. And even though he was a little cold tonight, Hudson can hit a shot. He’s only a sophomore so we are going to see him play for awhile.”

The Biggs Wolverines were claimed the championship at the 72nd Irene Wells Memorial Tournament which ran from Dec. 11-13 in Maxwell.

Kroupa poured in 25 points, Flowers finished with 10 points and 17 rebounds, while Long corralled 15 boards and chipped in with six points.

With the win, the Wolverines advanced to the championship game, where despite some sloppy play towards the end of the contest, they completely outplayed the Panthers and cruised to the 38-20 win.

Kroupa, the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, went for a team-high 12 points, Flowers added 11 and Brewer pitched in with nine.

Long and Brewer were named to the All-Tournament Team.

On a six game win streak, this was a  busy week for Biggs (7-1) as it was in Chico to play CORE Butte on Dec. 16 before making its way to Lake County to play in the Kelseyville Tournament which runs from Dec. 18-20.