A pair of 3-point field goals sparked an 8-3 surge that helped the Flyers close to within 11-10 after eight minutes. Another shot from behind the arc by Macaleab Rich to open the second period gave East St. Louis its first lead and one they didn’t relinquish the remainder of the game.

A bucket by Nate Thompson and a three from Drew Thompson kept the Hearts within one point, 19-18, at the 3:44 mark, but the Flyers closed the half on a 10-3 run. Tournament MVP Jabril Olivaria had a pair of threes and helped East St. Louis take a 29-21 lead at intermission.

“They are really good. They are the kind of team we’ll run into if we make a deep run in the postseason,” Farmer noted. “That’s why I like playing in this tournament and facing teams like this. They are long, quick and athletic. They made us feel uncomfortable.”

Rich, just a 14-year-old freshman, started the second half with a dunk and high-flying teammate Lashawn Johnson added another slam later in the third period.

But the Hearts stayed within striking distance. Drew Thompson had two more threes and Nate Thompson scored six points. Heading into the final eight minutes, the Flyers held a 48-36 advantage.

Wolfe and Nate Thompson scored on back-to-back possessions to trim the margin to 50-40, and the Hearts had two more chances to get even closer. But they failed to convert and the Flyers responded with an 11-2 run to close out the game. That included two more impressive dunks by Johnson.

“We tried to take away their inside game as much as possible,” Farmer said. “We kind of packed it inside, but a team like East St. Louis is not going to miss all their shots. And you can’t take away everything. They’re just too talented.

“But the only bad loss is one kids don’t learn anything from,” Farmer added. “I think our kids will learn from this experience. And we should get a trophy for having the closest game with them in the entire tournament.”

Johnson finished with 20 points and Olivaria added 16 for the Flyers, who improved to 14-6 on the season.

Nate Thompson paced the Hearts with 18 points, while Drew Thompson scored 11 and Wolfe added 10. Each of those three players were named to the all-tournament team.

“I think the kids found a new level of energy and effort in this tournament,” Farmer said. “When go real hard and see the good things you can do, it makes a different. I think we took a step forward this week. The kids flipped a switch and reached a new level. But I think we’ve got another level in us and I believe we’re heading in the right direction.”

The Hearts, who were playing in the Salem Invitational championship game for the first time since 1981, are now 14-7 on the season. They will return to action Friday with an Apollo Conference contest at Mt. Zion.