LITCHFIELD — In a game filled with streaks and momentum changes, Metro-East Lutheran finally found a way to take control.
After Litchfield used a 10-0 run to pull within one point in the third quarter, MELHS responded by scoring the next 16 points on the way to a 60-39 win over the host Panthers on Monday night at the 51st Litchfield Invitational.
It was the first game in Pool A for the eighth-seeded Knights, who improved to 8-10 with their third straight win.
Metro will wrap up pool play at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday against top-seeded Bethalto Civc Memorial (11-5).
Litchfield, the No. 9 seed, dropped to 0-2 in Pool A. The Panthers are 9-10 overall.
“They’re a good ball club, but we have to be able to put four good quarters of basketball together,” MELHS coach Anthony Smith said. “We have to find that groove and neutralize teams on defense and play our game.
“When we play hard, we’re good. We limited our turnovers to 10 and we’re starting to jell. We just can’t fall off for two quarters like we did tonight, so we’re continuously working on that.”
Larry Harris led the Knights with 15 points while Jonah Wilson and DeMonte Bean added nine points apiece.
“Coach Smith had talked to us at halftime because we were doing poorly in the first half,” Harris. “He said we need to make sure that we get our minds straight and play like we want to win, and that’s what we did in the second half.”
An earlier 11-0 MELHS run, capped by a layup from Jonah Ogden, had given the Knights a 29-18 lead with 6:29 remaining in the third quarter.
In less than three minutes, Metro’s lead nearly disappeared.
Litchfield reeled off the next 10 points, pulling within 29-28 on a layup by Alex Bishop with 3:58 to play in the quarter.
Letting the host team get back in the game with a double-digit run is usually a recipe for disaster, but Metro quickly got the momentum back on its side.
The Knights scored the last 10 points of the quarter, pushing their lead to 39-29 on a layup by Bean.
MELHS wasn’t finished yet, though.
A free throw by Ogden capped the 16-0 run for the Knights and made the score 45-28 with 6:07 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Litchfield pulled within 47-37 on a pair of free of throws by Chase Lauderdale, but it was too little, too late for the Panthers. A layup by Harris boosted Metro’s lead to 55-39 with 1:55 remaining.
“When they both decide to play, Harris and Bean are a load under the basket,” said Smith, whose team led 22-18 at halftime. “Cooper Krone is normally our shooter and he didn’t get going tonight.
“We finally put things together and gave ourselves a chance to win. For the team as a whole, I’ll give us a C-minus. We’ve just got to be better.”
Bishop, with 13 points, was the only Litchfield player in double figures.
Now MELHS has a chance to win its pool, but the Knights must find a way to get past Civic Memorial, which cruised to a 69-36 win over Litchfield on Saturday.
After a day off on Wednesday, the tournament resumes with bracket play on Thursday. Action will continue through Saturday, with the championship game slated for 7 p.m.