EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville senior point guard Macy Silvey came up big in the Tigers' rivalry game against O'Fallon on Tuesday night, scoring 13 points and blocking the potential game-winning three-point shot as the Tigers defeated the Panthers 47-45 in a Southwestern Conference barnburner at Lucco-Jackson Gym.

The game was a hard-fought affair from the opening tip between two of the best teams in the area, so typical for the style of play in the conference, and played before a loud and enthusiastic crowd.

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Just another night in the Southwestern Conference. For her efforts in this game and the start of the Tigers' season, Macy Silvey is the iCAN Clinic Co-Female Athlete of the Month for EHS.

"Yeah, it's always exciting beating O'Fallon," Silvey said, "and it's one of our biggest games of the year. So it was really fun, especially like the atmosphere, it's great here. So it was really exciting to come out with a win."

The Tigers trailed during the second quarter before going on an 8-0 run to tie the game before halftime, giving Edwardsville the momentum. In the locker room at halftime, Silvey and her teammates kept very quiet, realizing what lied ahead in the second half.

"Whenever we were in the locker room, we were all just like - it was just like kind of silent," Silvey said. "We were like oooohhhhhhhh, like step up our game, we're better than this. And we kind of came out from the halftime like, more ready and more confident."

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O'Fallon had their own 8-0 run as well to stay close, with Silvey hitting some clutch free throws down the stretch. Going into the game, Silvey felt nervous, but they quickly disappeared when the game started, with the Edwardsville student section lending support throughout the game.

"I was definitely like very nervous," Silvey said, "but I knew like, when I heard that fans were coming, that always excited our team, because we normally don't get a lot of fans. But we were all really excited, and we know that O'Fallon's the team to beat, and it was really exciting, and definitely nerve-wracking too."

Silvey had a great feeling in blocking the game-winner, but at the same time, was also nervous that the officials were going to call a foul on her.

"Yeah, I was just nervous that they were going to call it a foul," Silvey said. "I was like oh no, and then, they called the game and I was like ah, yeah," she said with a hearty laugh. "My heart just like dropped whenever I swatted it."

The Tigers are now 7-1 and face two more important challenges, starting with a league game at home against Belleville East Thursday at 7:30 p.m., then going up against a powerhouse with Civic Memorial in the curtain-raiser of the Scott Credit Union Edwardsville Shootout Saturday morning, starting at 11 a.m. Silvey is looking ahead to both games.

"Just another game at home," Silvey said, "like we all really enjoy the games at home, and also, our goal is to just get far in the postseason. It's just another game to get better and see our weaknesses and everything. So that's what I'm looking forward to."

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