ASHTON – The Amboy Clippers opened up the new basketball season by winning three of four games to finish in second place in the Ashton-Franklin Center Tournament.

Amboy started off the action with a 54-40 triumph over Polo on Nov. 22.

The game was tight after one quarter, with the Clippers owning a 10-7 lead, but they turned up the heat in the second quarter and outscored the Marcos, 15-7, to take a 25-14 advantage to the locker room. The count stood at 36-23 after three frames.

Brennan Blaine was the top scorer for Amboy with 20 points. He nailed four shots from beyond the three-point arc. Ian Eller had a pair of treys and finished with 10 tallies, while Connor Simpson provided eight markers and Tucker Lindenmeyer supplied seven.

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The Clippers had an easy time in disposing of LaMoille, 51-23, on Nov. 23.

It was another game that Amboy was able to pull away in the second quarter. Leading 10-4 after the opening stanza, the Clippers zoomed out to a 22-10 margin at halftime. They kept building in the lead in the third period and held a 40-15 cushion heading to the fourth.

Blaine led the offensive attack with 14 points, while Simpson added 12. Nine Clippers broke into the scoring column. Austin Fischer paced LaMoille with 11 markers.

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Amboy rolled into the championship game with a 42-27 verdict over Kirkland Hiawatha in a third-round game on Nov. 26.

The Clippers took control from the opening tip, owning a 12-5 lead after the first frame and taking a 24-10 advantage to the break.

Lindenmeyer and Eller topped the scoring chart with eight points apiece, while Simpson added six tallies and Blaine chipped in with five markers.

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A solid Midland team dealt the Clippers a 51-25 loss in the championship game on Nov. 27.

Amboy was slow out of the gate and found themselves staring up at a 15-4 deficit after the first eight-minute session and 30-8 at halftime. The Clippers heated up with 15 third-quarter points, but then only managed a bucket in the fourth quarter.

Simpson’s nine points paced Amboy and Lindenmeyer dropped in seven points.