Sycamore Survives Milford 49-45 in Holiday Hardwood Classic Showdown

The fifth game of the LaRosa's Holiday Hardwood Classic featured the Sycamore Aviators of the GMC taking on the Milford Eagles of the ECC.

Sycamore scored the first points of the game on a putback by senior forward Gio Garrett, followed by an and-one from Elijah Hill. Milford notched their first points on a three-pointer by Gavin Dalen. The Eagles added a few three-pointers and the first quarter ended with an 11-9 Eagles lead.

The second quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams trading buckets throughout. Sycamore ended the quarter on a 8-0 run, featuring a thunderous dunk from senior Raleigh Burgess and a rejection at the other end. The Aviators took a 25-18 lead into halftime, with Burgess notching 13 first-half points.

The second half opened with a three-pointer by Sycamore's Brady Queenan which was quickly answered by Milford's Michael Kirk. The rest of the quarter was more trading buckets, ultimately leading to a 36-27 Sycamore lead heading into the final frame.

An exciting fourth quarter featured Milford's Sloan Gormley knocking down a three-pointer with 2:15 to play, cutting the Sycamore lead to 4. The teams then traded two points and Sycamore held a 43-39 lead with 1:43 remaining. The score stayed there until 38 seconds remained, at which time Queenan was fouled and knocked down both free throws. A Milford turnover and two more Sycamore free throws virtually iced the game, although late three-pointers by Kirk and Gormley, sandwiched between a Sycamore turnover gave the Eagles some late life.

Ultimately following the Gormley three-pointer with 2 seconds remaining, Milford head coach Brandon Baker called a timeout which the Eagles did not have. As such, Milford was charged with a technical foul. Sycamore knocked down the two free throws to take home a 49-45 victory.

With the win, Sycamore improves to 6-1 while Milford drops to 5-4.

Sycamore's Raleigh Burgess, a Purdue commit, was named the LaRosa's Player of the Game. Burgess is the first two-time Player of the Game in Holiday Hardwood Classic history.