BELLEVILLE – Edwardsville senior forward Jaylon Tuggle led all scorers with 19 points, while A.J. Robertson scored 12 as the Tigers defeated Belleville East 44-37 in the regular season finale for both teams Friday night at Belleville East High.
The Tigers hit on nine threes in the game, and also played very well defensively, not allowing a Lancer player to break into double figures.
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The Tigers are starting to play their best basketball of the season, and it’s at the perfect time, with the postseason set to begin on Monday.
“I really think we’re starting to play our best basketball,” said Edwardsville coach Dustin Battas, “and you could just see that our guys are executing things just a little bit better, we’re a little sharper, we’re making more shots, and Jaylon Tuggle did a great job making shots tonight. But a lot goes into that. Guys are screening to get him open, Malik (Robinson) and (Jalil) Roundtree deliver the ball on time. It’s often Nic (Hemken) screening. And then to hold them to 37 points, our defense was incredible, and they just scored 66 points against Collinsville making threes. I thought we guarded the perimeter well, I think Nic had three or four charges. That’s an unbelievable skill that he has, So that was a gritty, gritty game that we were happy to come out on top, but I think that game was really a reflection of our seniors and how hard they’ve been trying to practice, and kind of being competitive as they’ve been showing.”
Tuggle has been a go-to player in the second half of the season and has become adept at hitting key shots late in games.
“And we’re not surprised by that,” Battas said. “Jaylon puts a lot of time in; he was one of two returning starters, and we really put a big burden on Malik and Tuggle at the start of the year, as to the kind of style we wanted to play. And so, it’s just a byproduct of how hard they’ve been practicing. And the best thing is that the other guys believe in them and want them to continue to make big shots, and all of our guys appreciate all of our seniors, and what they’re doing every day in practice, even the guys who don’t get into the games much.”
The third quarter was a key in the game, as the Lancers couldn’t find the range from behind the arc, while Tuggle kept hitting his shots.
“I think we came out in the third quarter and held them scoreless for the first three or four minutes,” Battas said. “I thought we did a good job ending possessions with rebounds. Brennan (Weller), A.J. and Nic obviously are on the defensive glass. They’re fast, athletic and they’ve got length. So it took a lot of heart and a lot of determination for our guys to get those rebounds, but we’re extremely proud of our defensive effort, and you make shots on one end and stop them on the other end, that’s really a recipe for success.”
And everyone on the team contributed something positive to the win.
“We had a couple of guys who had to do different roles on defense, because of how they play,” Battas said. “A.J. was one of them, I thought Jalil did a great job on defense; it really helps us keep a guy in front of him, and helps us with the ball. And then, Brennan Weller had to guard the perimeter a little bit more than he’s used to. And I thought we did a good job in taking care of the basketball. They force you to throw it to other guys that aren’t your lead guards, so Brennan had it a few time, and Nic had it a few times, and traps. And we kept our composure. All of our guys did a really good job of taking care of the basketball, and giving us a good chance to win.”
The game started out with both teams trading baskets and the lead, starting with Weller and Robertson hitting back-to-back threes sandwiched around a three from Bryson Ivy to give Edwardsville an early 6-5 lead. Isaiah May scored in the lane to give the Lancers the lead back before a three-point play from Hemken gave the Tigers the lead right back at 9-7. May then hit a three in the corner to give East the lead again, followed by a basket from Rakweon Ramsey to give the Lancers a 12-9 lead. But after Edwardsville came back to tie the game at 14-14, the Tigers scored the last five points, courtesy of a Weller basket off a rebound and a Tuggle three on the baseline to give Edwardsville a 19-14 lead after one quarter.
Tuggle hit another three from the baseline to open the second quarter, but a three-point play from Darren Sunkett brought the lead back to 22-17. Another Tuggle three brought the Tiger lead back to eight, and after a Lancer time out, a free throw and three-point play from Braxton Stacker cut the Tiger advantage to 25-21. Edwardsville held for the last shot, but couldn’t convert as the Tigers held their 25-21 lead at halftime.
When the second half started, it took nearly three minutes for someone to score, and it was Tuggle who broke the ice with a pair of threes up top to give the Tigers a 31-21 lead past the halfway mark of the period. Undaunted, May scored on a putback, then converted a three-point play to cut the lead to 31-26. After Robinson and May exchanged baskets, Tuggle drove the lane to score and give Edwardsville a 35-28 lead after three.
Robertson started the final quarter with a three on the side to give the Tigers a 38-28 lead, but a pair of Malik Williams baskets cut the lead to 38-32. Robertson hit on another three to open up a nine-point Edwardsville advantage, and from there, Edwardsville hit on three of six free throws while holding the Lancers to a total of five points to make the final 44-37.
May led the Lancers with nine points, while Williams had eight, all in the fourth quarter. Stacker added six for East.
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
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