With Higbee’s 72-57 win over Northland Christian in the third-place game of the Keytesville Tournament, the Tigers (8-7) doubled their win total from last season and captured their first tournament trophy in two seasons.

William Gibson also moved over 1,000 career points with his 31-point day, but he wasn’t about to revel in that statistical accomplishment.

“I’m happy we got the win,” Gibson said. “I’ve been working hard and the 1,000 points is just a bonus.

“We’ve got another tournament coming up and I’m focused on that. We’re not happy with third, we want the championship and that’s what we’re focusing on for sure.”

Gibson also had 12 rebounds and five assists in the win.

The Tigers got out to a fast start, turning defense into offense. Seth Kirby stole the ball and completed a 3-point play to put Higbee up 9-0. Kirby stole it again on the next possession and Gibson scored on a put back to extend the run. Later, Gibson’s 3-pointer put the Tigers ahead 16-2 and Higbee led by 12 at the end of the first quarter.

“We came in focusing on defense again,” Gibson said. “Our shots fell early, we focused on just attacking the basket, getting there. It was fun, just moving the ball.”

Northland’s Carson Starns made five 3-pointers in the first half to pull the Trailblazers within four at halftime. Starns made three 3-pointers in a row to cut the deficit to one in the third quarter, but that was as close as Northland would get.

Gibson and Jamie Smith each had four points during an 11-0 run and Higbee led by double digits the rest of the way.

“To say I am proud is an understatement for these young men,” Higbee coach Tanner Burton said. “We have really put in work to make us more successful and competitive this year.”

The Tigers have played two games without sixth man Chad Crawford, who was out with an illness.

Keetun Redifer had 16 points for the Tigers. Jamie Smith had nine points and eight rebounds while Luke Ritter scored nine.

“I thought all five starters really thrived in their role versus a team that hit threes to stay in the game,” Burton said.

“Luke (Ritter) and Seth (Kirby) snagging five steals each was huge for us as we rely on them for that and it leads to transition and free throws.”

Higbee forced 29 turnovers in the win.

Keytesville 68, Higbee 25

The third meeting with Keytesville went much worse than the first two for Higbee, which suffered a 68-25 loss to the tournament host in the semifinal round on Thursday. Higbee scored 50 and 41 points in the first two matchups, but struggled offensively in the third meeting.

Keytesville went on to defeat Brunswick 58-56 in the championship game, improving to 14-3 for the season.

Higbee 72, C. Independent 41

William Gibson scored 34 points for Higbee in a 72-41 win over Columbia Independent in the first round of the Keytesville tournament on Tuesday.

The Tigers shot 54 percent from the floor as a team, led by Gibson who was 12-18 and made four of six 3-point attempts.

The Tigers took a 22-6 lead after one quarter and led 43-15 at the half.

“The Higbee boys started the Keytesville tournament on fire,” Higbee coach Tanner Burton said. “We shot tremendously well versus Columbia Independent to jump out to a huge lead and never looked back. We played with great energy.”

Jamie Smith was 8-10 for a career-high 20 points. The Tigers’ sophomore post made his first 3-pointer of the season in the victory. Keetun Redifer had six points, three assists and three steals. Luke Ritter had seven points and three steals. Seth Kirby had three points, three assists and two steals.