EDWARDSVILLE - Bryce Spiller, a sophomore guard for the Edwardsville High boys basketball team, hit a three-pointer from the top of the key with 17.9 seconds left in regulation to give the Tigers a 28-24 win over KIPP Academy of St. Louis in a game played Tuesday night at Lucco-Jackson Gym.
The game-winner was a part of a seven-point performance in a matchup where points came at a premium, as both teams' defense and turnovers played a major part in the game. It was the second of back-to-back wins for the Tigers, and Spiller was feeling very happy after the game.
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"I'm feeling happy," Spiller said during a postgame interview. "I'm just happy that our team played well and we got a chance to finish it off."
Edwardsville was able to take advantage of a pair of Wolves turnovers in the last minute to set up the winner. And Spiller had much on his mind going into taking the shot.
"I felt like we're in a flow, because defense leads to offense," Spiller said. "so we just got better flow with our offense and we just found open guys and got open shots."
It was another game against a team in KIPP, who like the Tigers' opponent on Monday night, Riverview Gardens. played tough, aggressive defense, with the Edwardsville defense playing just as well to disrupt the Wolves' offense.
"I thought we got in the passing lanes good," Spiller said, "and that what really helped us out. But I thought we played really solid defense and it just led to a victory."
The Tigers are now 8-3 going into the Prairie Farms Collinsville Holiday Classic, where Edwardsville will meet up with Decatur MacArthur in a first round match up Dec. 27 at 10:30 a.m. Spiller is definitely looking forward to being able to play in the tournament, one of the best of its kind in the St. Louis area.
"I'm super excited for the tournament," Spiller said. "I've been watching it as a kid and I'm just hopeful that we do pretty well in the tournament."
Past the Classic, Spiller has some specific goals for himself and the Tigers as the calendar turns into January and February.
"I hope our team does well," Spiller said. "We definitely want to get some more victories and wins under our belt. With a younger team, we need more experience, so definitely get more experience and try to fine-tune our offense."
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