Free throws were easy to come by in Marengo’s E.C. Nichols Holiday Classic championship game between Crystal Lake Central and Richmond-Burton on Saturday evening.

They were not so easily converted, as Central went 8 of 21 and R-B finished 19 of 31.

Except for R-B’s Gardner brothers.

When the Tigers trimmed the Rockets lead to just 46-42, they fouled Will Gardner with the Rockets in the bonus. The sophomore didn’t miss his shots, closing out his perfect day from the line (6 of 6), and the Rockets held on for a 51-42 victory against the Tigers, becoming the 75th tournament champions.

Gardner also chipped in a pair of 3-pointers in his 12-point performance, seven of which came in the fourth quarter. His fourth-quarter 3 wasn’t a sure thing.

“I got it in the corner, shot it. It went around the rim,” Gardner said. “I didn’t think it was going in, but it ended up going in. Very happy with that one.”

Senior brother Dane Gardner, who scored seven points, hitting 3 of 4 free throws, including the game’s final point, enjoyed sharing the floor with his younger brother.

“He can shoot better than me,” Dane Gardner said of Will. “It’s great to play with him. Ever since he got into high school, I’ve had more fun playing because I get to play with my brother. Overall, it makes basketball more fun for me.”

The senior Gardner has taken on the lion’s share of the point guard work because of an injury to regular starter Gavin Radmer, a junior.

“He has stepped into that role and done a tremendous job for us,” R-B coach Rich Petska said.

A big part of that job for the Rockets is feeding the ball to Luke Robinson.

Robinson, who scored a game-high 22 points, was the only Rocket to score a field goal in the second and third quarters. Guarded heavily in the paint against a tough Tigers defense, Robinson adjusted and knocked down a pair of second-quarter 3s before throwing down a one-handed dunk, helping his team to a 23-13 halftime lead.

Robinson liked his team’s defensive effort. He helped hold the Tigers to only four points in the second quarter when he blocked a 3-point attempt.

“We played man that full game, and I think that really helped us win there just because we saw them shoot lights out against a couple zones in the tournament,” Robinson said.

Only big men Danny Spychala (team-high 15 points) and Aidan Watson (five points) managed baskets beyond the arc for the Tigers. Spychala sparked a Tigers’ offensive push late.

Standing at 6-foot-7, he adjusted his game against an opponent just as tall in Jace Nelson (six points).

“I just started being aggressive, taking it to him,” Spychala, one of whose baskets was a putback over Nelson, said. “I just figured, ‘Go up strong. See what happens.’ It’s always a good thing to go up strong.”

Sonny Shanahan scored 11 points and Avery Lee was a force defensively while scoring eight for the Tigers.

Central coach Brian Seaver saw some positives in a tough loss.

“Shots were not going in for us tonight. Free throws weren’t going in for us tonight. It’s hard to win ball games (that way), but they didn’t give up, and they kept fighting, so I was proud of that,” Seaver said.