Bishop McNamara continued its impressive run of early-season tournament play on Tuesday, riding a dominant second half to a 62-41 win over an equally hot Clifton Central in the championship game of the Watseka Holiday Tournament.

The win gave the Fightin’ Irish (11-1) their fifth consecutive Watseka Holiday Tournament title, and seventh overall, as well as their third tournament title already on the young season.

“It’s a little bit expected almost, with how many times we’ve done it,” senior forward Callaghan O’Connor said of the Watseka title. “This first semester so far has been awesome.”

Despite the eventual 21-point margin of victory Tuesday, the first half was a back-and-forth battle.

Clifton Central got out to a 10-7 lead by the end of the first quarter, thanks to eight early points from Blake Chandler. The second quarter featured five lead changes and two ties before the Irish managed to take a 23-21 lead into halftime.

Bishop McNamara came out of the locker room on a roll, mounting a 14-4 run to open the second half. The Comets responded with a quick 7-0 run to cut it to a 37-32 game, but the Irish regained control to close things out on a decisive 25-9 run.

Karter Krutsinger led the team with 16 points in the game, eight of which came in the third quarter.

“We got our butts chewed at halftime,” he said. “Everybody stepped up on defense (in the second half) and we really got out in transition. It’s hard to get out in transition when people are scoring on us.”

This marks the second straight year the Irish have won the Herscher Thanksgiving Tournament, Toyota of Danville Classic and Watseka Holiday Tournament in the season’s opening weeks.

They are 11-0 in tournament play this season with their lone loss coming 70-51 against reigning Class 1A state champions Hope Academy.

O’Connor, who finished with 11 points on the day and was named to the All-Tournament team, said these tournament games can help the team gear up for an attempt to duplicate some of last season’s playoff success, which included a regional title and Sweet 16 appearance.

“I think it really just gives us a sense of urgency,” he said. “We want to win every game we play, every tournament we play. Obviously in February and March, we want to win a lot of games. This gets us into playoff mode, where you’re constantly going at it and playing to win all the time.”

Following the annual Silent Night game against Bulls College Prep on Friday, the Irish will face their toughest slate of the season at the State Farm Classic as part of a stacked small school field that includes Quincy Notre Dame, Aurora Central Catholic and more of the top Class 1A and 2A teams in the state.

“(The Silent Night game) is a good event for our kids,” head coach Adrian Provost said. “Then we go to State Farm, which if it’s not the best tournament in the Midwest, it’s knocking on the door. The small school bracket is ridiculous. It’ll be a good test for us.”

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Boys Basketball: Watseka Holiday Tournament - Bishop McNamara vs. Clifton Central Bishop McNamara players celebrate with the Watseka Holiday Tournament championship plaque following the Fightin' Irish's 62-41 victory over Clifton Central on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Tiffany Blanchette)

Richie Darr joined Krutsinger and O’Connor in double figures with 10 points Tuesday and earned All-Tournament honors alongside O’Connor. Coen Demack added nine points.

Chandler finished with 16 points for the Comets, earning All-Tournament honors along with Jake Thompson, who had four points Tuesday. Mayson Mitchell chipped in eight points.

The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for Central (8-2), which was playing in the championship game at Watseka for the first time since the tournament’s debut in 2002.

“I really can’t ask more out of them, especially tonight,” head coach Brandon Schoon said. “(Chandler’s) a senior and he’s going to get us our points, but other than that we’ve got four juniors out there. I thought they worked their tails off not just tonight, but in this whole tournament.

“I see development and I see progress. That’s all you can ask in the first part of this season.”