EDWARDSVILLE - Malik Allen returned to the Edwardsville boys basketball lineup on Dec. 5, scoring 16 points in a 64-46 loss at O'Fallon, and then led the Tigers with 19 points in a very good bounce-back win at home over Belleville East 60-48 on Dec. 8.
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Allen exploded for 23 points on Monday against Gateway STEM, then came back Tuesday with a career-high 24 points against Roosevelt. Allen has been on fire from the field and his quickness and agility on the court are huge pluses for the Tigers as they head into the Christmas schedule and open 2024 with Southwestern Conference play.
Allen's return to the lineup is a good sign for Edwardsville's team, as he'll add an extra dimension to the team's offense and defense.
The win over the Lancers was a very good bounce back for the Tigers also, after the loss at O'Fallon, and Allen's return couldn't have come at a better time. In his post-game interview. Allen expressed his happiness on returning to the team after having missed the first few games, due to injury.
Malik Allen is a Johnston Law Firm Male Athlete of the Month for the Tigers.
"Oh, yeah, it feels very good," Allen said. "I've just been ready, waiting, had a few injuries, battled back, got back on the court and just ready to play. Battled back, got a win with the team, and we played together this game. It wasn't a lot of individuals, we came together as a team, just executed. We focused on all their plays in practice, we locked in this week and just made sure like it was a big thing to beat these guys."
Allen came off the bench in his first appearance of the season in the loss at O'Fallon and played well, but was even better against East, making big contributions in both games. It's something that he's very proud of.
"Oh, yes, sir, for sure," Allen said. "I just waited for my time, being patient, staying down, my time came and I'm ready. I'm ready just to help the team any way I can."
Allen's goals for himself and the Tigers are nothing less than very ambitious, and it's something that he feels can be accomplished.
"As a team, I want to see us make a little conference win," Allen said, "and maybe take a little road to state. I think we can do that. We've got a lot of good guys on the team, and I feel like it's not just the top five guys, we've got about eight or nine good guys that could fill in, take the role and keep the intensity up on the court when we're playing."
The Tigers play against St. Mary's Southside Catholic in the Carbondale Shootout Dec. 16. It's three unique challenges that Allen and the team feel they're ready for.
"I'm just looking forward for the wins," Allen said. "We're going to come to practice, we're going to battle back and treat this game like all the other games that we play. We're going to take film, watch film, treat these guys like the other teams we've been doing, just keep executing."
Again, congrats to Malik for his recognition as a Johnston Law Firm Male Athlete of Month honor.
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