COLLINSVILLE – The Kahoks cruised into the semifinals of their own 39th Annual Prairie Farms Holiday Classic after a 67-29 win over the Triad Knights Thursday afternoon inside Vergil Fletcher Gym.
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It was Collinsville’s 100th win in Holiday Classic action as they now have a 100-47 all-time record in the historic tournament. The Kahoks seek to win the tournament for the first time since 2019.
Decatur MacArthur has won it the last two seasons but it fell to O’Fallon 73-57 in the quarterfinals this time around.
The Kahoks were the first to score in the game against Triad when senior Nick Horras sunk a pull-up jumper followed by a basket from Zach Chambers to go ahead 4-0. Collinsville jumped out to a 9-1 lead after a Horras three and a Chase Reynolds basket. They kept control early and led 22-9 after the first quarter.
In the first half, Collinsville turned defensive rebounds into quick, transition offense that the Knights couldn’t seem to figure out.
“We played well. That was the best game we’ve played in a while,” Collinsville head coach Darin Lee said. “Triad’s a good team, I was a little concerned with them. I was shocked we were able to play that well. They’re a good team.”
Collinsville continued to push the pace and led 32-19 at halftime.
Coming back onto the court, the Kahoks kept things moving as they opened the second half with an 11-0 run to get up to a 43-19 lead, eventually a 55-24 lead after three quarters.
Collinsville was able to rest their “big three seniors” as coach Lee described them. Horras, Jamorie Wysinger, and Zach Chambers should be a little more rested for tonight’s semifinal game against Lincoln.
Lincoln defeated Belleville East 40-27 in the last quarterfinal game. The undefeated Kahoks, ranked No. 4 in IHSA Class 4A, host the Railsplitters in the second semifinal of the night slated to start at 7:30 p.m.
The other semifinal game between Quincy (No. 2 IHSA Class 4A) and O’Fallon tips off at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 28.
Against the Knights, Horras led all scorers with 20 points while Wysinger had 14. Evan Wilkinson and Stanley Carnahan each scored eight points, Chambers had six, Chase Reynolds had five, and Tyree Brister had four.
Triad falls to the consolation bracket and sits at 8-5 on the season.
They were led by Owen Droy’s seven points. Drew Winslow and Landon Zawodniak each scored six, Tyler Thompson had five, Ethan Stewart had three, and Donny Becker had two.
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