VIENNA — The VHS Eagles walked out of the Bourbon Tournament with a third-place finish after winning a shootout against Liberty Christian on Friday night, a game that swung wildly before Vienna finally seized control with poise, patience and timely shooting.

Liberty Christian entered the matchup at 4-1 and as the higher seed, while Vienna came in at 4-5 looking to break even against one of the tournament favorites. Early on, it appeared Liberty would justify that label. The Eagles found themselves on the wrong end of a tug of war, as Liberty jumped out to a fourteen-point lead and dictated the tempo behind confident perimeter shooting.

Rather than panic, Vienna settled in. Behind the composure of its players and a steady game plan from head coach Chandler Harker, the Eagles slowly chipped away. A 19-6 run late in the second quarter flipped the game on its head and sent Vienna into halftime with momentum firmly in hand. What had been a 30-24 Liberty advantage at the end of the 1st, turned into a 43-36 Vienna lead by the break, a thirteen-point swing that changed the tone of the night and rewarded the Eagles for staying calm under pressure.

Liberty’s approach was clear from the opening tip. The Liberty Eagles were willing to live and die by the three-point shot, and for stretches it worked. Phoenix Oberman, wearing number four, was the focal point of the Liberty offense and finished as the game’s leading scorer with 31 points. Oberman knocked down six three-pointers and went seven of eight from the free throw line, keeping Liberty within striking distance throughout the second half.

Matching him nearly shot for shot was Vienna captain Teagan James, who once again tied his season high with 28 points, the third time this season he has reached that mark. James scored 11 points in the first half and poured in 17 more after halftime, attacking the basket when Liberty began to struggle with foul trouble. He went five of eight from the free throw line and connected on three shots from beyond the arc.

“They were seeded higher than us,” James said. “So that just fired us up completely.”

James credited his aggressive second half to recognizing the situation late in the game.

“We knew closer towards the end they were in foul trouble so I just attacked, I wanted to get our get back,” he said.

Vienna answered Liberty’s barrage of three-pointers with perimeter shooting of its own. Bryce Ewers finished as the Eagles’ second-leading scorer with 15 points, hitting three shots from long range and adding six more on layups. Jude Stricklan followed with 12 points, including two three-pointers, while Talan Reeves and Jayce Bertoni each knocked down a three. Dylan Long added two points, and point guard Hunter Schwartze scored 12, all on layups created by attacking gaps in the defense.

Throughout the game, Vienna could be heard calling out school names and colors as play calls, a sign of an offense flowing through multiple sets and looks. Coach Chandler Harker said the team’s versatility allowed them to adjust as Liberty continued to hit tough shots.

“Our opponent came out hot and they hit some tough shots,” Harker said. “We may have turned the ball over a couple times and yes, they got some easy looks in transition, but what’s really different with this group, we can do a variety of different things. I have a few different sets with different looks.”

That flexibility extended to the defensive end, where Vienna was forced to make changes on the fly to keep Liberty from getting comfortable.

“Our group is very, very smart, with a high IQ defensively,” Harker said. “Because of that, we were able to make changes on the fly as the game went on.”

The win secured third place for the Eagles in the annual Bourbon Tournament, and Vienna will now turn its attention to South Calloway, where the team will compete in its next tournament this week.

Away from the varsity action, Vienna’s junior varsity boys traveled separately to Iberia on Jan. 8 alongside the girls team for a single game. The JV Eagles dropped a 59-50 decision in a contest that tested the team’s depth, with eight of the ten players who saw the floor scoring.

Ewers led the JV squad with 14 points in a game that included both momentum and adversity. He scored eight points in the first half before going down with a hip injury, leaving the floor with head coach Tim Simmons and teammates checking on him at the sideline. Ewers returned the following quarter and added six more points in the third before being benched in the fourth as a precaution due to his hip. His effort came despite the injury, and he later carried that energy into the varsity win over Liberty during a strong week of basketball.

Parker James followed with 11 points, all coming during a burst in the fourth quarter. Reeves scored nine, Paxten Jeremy added five, Jaiden Hayes had four, and Chase Weeks and Wyatt Wulff each scored two. Tyler Hallahan finished with one point. Freshman point guard Gage Curler did not score, but contributed three assists and two steals, showcasing his passing and defensive instincts.

After the game, Simmons praised his group’s effort.

“They played with a lot of heart and effort,” Simmons said. “And that is all I can ask for.”

From a resilient varsity comeback to a hard-fought JV showing, the week reflected a Vienna program willing to respond, adapt, and compete, even when the odds or the scoreboard briefly swing the other way.