DeSales boys basketball wins Southeast 1B tournament championship

Fifth-ranked DeSales rallies from early deficit to defeat No. 2 Liberty Christian 66-58

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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The DeSales boys basketball team overcame an early eight-point deficit to defeat Liberty Christian 66-58 and win the Southeast 1B tournament championship. Led by 22 points from Spencer Green, the Irish rallied in the second quarter and held off a late Patriots comeback attempt to secure the victory.

Why it matters

This win gives DeSales the Southeast 1B league title and advances them to the District 6 championship game next Saturday. The Irish and Patriots had tied for the regular season league title, setting up this highly anticipated tournament final matchup.

The details

DeSales trailed 18-10 after the first quarter, but a 25-point second quarter led by Green and Maddox Filan gave the Irish a 37-34 halftime lead. Liberty Christian briefly regained the lead in the third quarter, but DeSales took control late, holding off the Patriots' comeback attempts in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

  • The championship game was played on Friday, February 16, 2026 at Dayton High School.
  • DeSales and Liberty Christian had tied for the regular season Southeast 1B league title with 13-1 records.

The players

Spencer Green

Led DeSales with 22 points in the championship game.

Malachi Raymond

Scored 15 points for the Irish in the victory.

Maddox Filan

Contributed 14 points for DeSales.

Cohen Wood

Scored 10 points and played strong defense for the Irish.

Eric Wood

Head coach of the DeSales boys basketball team.

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What they’re saying

“They came out with a lot of energy and we were a step slow in the first quarter.”

— Eric Wood, DeSales Head Coach (The Tribune)

“We regrouped and played our kind of basketball.”

— Eric Wood, DeSales Head Coach (The Tribune)

“It started at the defensive end. We stifled a lot of the offense they run. Cohen did an exceptional job. Our man-to-man defense won the game for us.”

— Eric Wood, DeSales Head Coach (The Tribune)

What’s next

Next Saturday's District 6 championship game will tip off at 5 p.m.

The takeaway

This victory for the fifth-ranked DeSales boys basketball team sets up a highly anticipated District 6 title game matchup after the Irish and Liberty Christian had tied for the regular season Southeast 1B league championship.