EDWARDSVILLE - Blakely Hockett, a sophomore guard for the Edwardsville girls' basketball team, has helped the Tigers with solid defensive play and also encourages her teammates constantly.
And in the Tigers' 42-34 win over Civic Memorial on Jan. 28, Hockett made vital contributions to the come-from-behind win as Edwardsville came back from an 11-0 Eagles run to start the game with a first-quarter run of their own to get back into the game, eventually finishing by scoring 16 unanswered points after CM scored the first basket of the final quarter to take the win.
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"It's good. I'm happy that the team won," Hockett said in a postgame interview, "and starting our streak back up again. I think we played really well together tonight and we shared the ball."
The fact that the Tigers rallied back and chipped away at the Eagles' lead to go ahead in the final quarter to take the win is a good sign indeed for the team.
"I think we just finished strong, our team didn't give up at all," Hockett said. "In the fourth quarter, we really finished and didn't make any bad mistakes."
Hockett felt that she played well, overcoming the tough start and kept plugging away, eventually getting the lead.
"It was a little bit of a rough start," Hockett said, "but slow start, chipping away at it."
Hockett, who's averaged 2.6 points and 2.1 rebounds-per-game, to go along with 21 assists, 21 steals and a blocked shot going into the game Saturday, definitely knows the kind of role she has on the team.
"I know my role," Hockett said. "I'm not the best scorer, I'll definitely be talking the whole game and defending, which is my thing."
The triumph over CM might be the biggest win for the Tigers this season and Hockett knew what the Eagles would be bringing.
"Yeah, it's always a battle with CM," Hockett said. "They're always very scrappy and they work really hard. They're all super aggressive. Tonight, we powered back after they made a few shots; we knew they were going to hit some. But we knew we would eventually come back."
With two weeks to go in the regular season and the IHSA Class 4A playoffs around the corner, Hockett feels that the Tigers can make a big run into the postseason and is optimistic about the team's chances.
"It's only up from here," Hockett said. "We've got nothing to lose, we'll keep coming back from the season. It's been nice to have a lot of home games, and a lot of energy. It's great."
Hockett and the Tigers are indeed raring to go into the postseason.
"I am very excited to see how we finish," Hockett said.
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