The Thorsby Rebels won all three as host of the Thorsby Christmas Tournament and finished the sweep with a 60-56 victory over Lamp.

It was the third game in as many days for the Rebels and also the most athletic test that they faced in the round robin format.

“I knew some of the kids were tired and I had to shorten by bench up a little bit tonight, but I thought they held up well,” Thorsby head coach Tim Fortner said. “Effort is never a question for us.”

The game remained tight throughout with neither team creating vast separation.

Thorsby led 44-40 entering the fourth quarter, and opened up a seven-point margin prior to Lamp grabbing a one-point lead with 5:11 left to play.

As the clock ran down, it was evident that one or two plays were going to decide the game.

The Rebels seized the game late by making plays at key moments down the stretch, as Cain Niece turned a steal into a breakaway layup to give Thorsby the lead and Noah Byrd followed it up with a perfectly timed lob pass to Bailey Sellers for an easy two points and an even larger lead.

“I knew that I could get it there, and I just put my trust in him [Sellers] to finish it off,” Byrd said.

Thorsby trailed by two after the first quarter, but the Rebels began to heat up from long range and led 33-27 at halftime.

“You can’t simulate a game like that,” Fortner said. “That will prove to be invaluable experience for us later on.”

Christian Fortner led the Rebels in scoring all three games. His 29 points against Lamp gave him 101 points in the tournament.

The Rebels did their part on the boards with four different Thorsby players finishing with five rebounds or more on the night, including Sellers with eight to lead the way.

“It was a little exhausting by the time you get to the third day, but once you going it’s business as usual,” Sellers said.

Fortner and Sellers were named to the all-tournament team for their performance over the three days.

“This is my senior year and the first time that we’ve hosted a tournament,” Sellers said. “It was pretty cool and I’m glad I was able to experience it.”