EDWARDSVILLE – Matthew Wilson led Edwardsville with 10 points as a tough and swarming Cardinal Ritter College Prep Catholic defense made the difference as the Lions defeated the Tigers 49-40 in a non-conference boys basketball game Tuesday night, Jan. 20, 2026, at Lucco-Jackon Gym.
The defense caused problems for the Tigers all throughout the game, and definitely made the difference in the win for the Midtown-St. Louis' school is considered one of the better teams in the metro area. The Tigers were a little short on some key players on the night, including Devyon Hill-Lomax.
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“We just talked to the guys about that,” said Edwardsville head coach Dustin Battas, “They were short-handed, we’ve got a few guys that are banged up, but the reality is we’re just trying to compete, just trying to get better. We thought it was a winnable game for us. We had a lead early, then in the second quarter, we had a few lapses, where there were some loose balls bouncing, we didn’t rebound a couple of free throws, so just a few things that we probably wish we could do over. And then, once they got the lead, they were able to keep it a one-possession game most of the way.
But that’s a good game for us,” Battas continued. “They’ve had to play against the way they trap, and the way they pressure on defense. We know that’s a regional championship-type game. So, all is not lost, we’ll just try to get better at practice, and put ourselves in a better chance to win those types of games down the road.”
The Tigers experienced a poor shooting night as well, as the team definitely missed Hill-Lomax in the game.
“Yeah, and especially without Devyon, you’re going to need to make more of those,” Battas said. “And the way our team has been structured, we’ve been, obviously, pretty dependent on making three-pointers all year. So, some of that was due to their pressure. I thought we shot some quick ones, but a lot of that is due to their pressure, and Matt’s just getting back from the flu; he missed a couple he could have made. And Brady (Niemi) had a couple of bad quick shots. As I said, a lot of that has to do with their pressure on defense.”
The Tigers got off to a good start, holding an early lead before the Lions came back and took the lead. With the Tigers short a couple of key players, this was a welcome sign.
“Especially when you’re missing a couple of guys, Sire (Borden) starting for the first time, as a coach, you’re worried about execution, and being able to run your offense. And the first quarter was a very good sign. We were able to execute our set plays well, and got some good looks at the basket. As the game wore on, not having the ability to throw it inside to Devyon cost us a little bit, as it emphasized perimeter shots. When those aren’t going in, it makes making baskets harder.””
The Ritter pressure also disrupted much of the Tigers’ rhythm throughout the night, but despite that, Rowan Weller played well before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
“With their pressure, I thought Rowan was able to get to the rim well. That was one of the ways we were going to score, so he gets into foul trouble, he’s out of the game, that takes that dimension away. So now, you’ve got your best threat to put pressure on the rim, and your best threat to catch it at the rim in Devyon out. But Jalyn (Nguyen) came in, and he handled the ball fine. You run out of experience and weapons at times, but like I said, a lot of credit to them, because they made it hard.”
The Tigers go on the road on Friday to play another difficult team in Decatur Eisenhower, and Battas looks ahead to the challenge.
“You schedule games like this to prepare for the postseason, going on the road at their place. We played them here last year; they’re athletic, they’ll get up after you, and have some athletic guys on offense. It’ll be a Southwestern Conference-type game on the road. Our guys usually respond well after we lose, and we should practice well. So, we hope to hit the ground running tomorrow at practice.”
Rashon Wright and Nguyen traded baskets to open the game, but then, Edwardsville went on a 7-0 run, with Niem sinking a three, and Wilson also hitting to give Edwardsville a 9-2 lead. Miccah Butler later hit a three to put the Tigers up 12-4, and from there, Wilson and Weller combined to help put Edwardsville ahead after one quarter, 15-8.
The Lions managed to stay close in the second quarter and used their defense to put pressure on Edwardsville, forcing them into hurried shots. Wright then hit three out of four free throws to put Ritter up for the first time, 15-14, and the two teams took turns in taking the lead, until late in the period, when a basket by Jaylen Edwards, a free throw from Brian Lewis, and a basket from Mavrick Davis gave the Lions a 22-18 lead. Niemi cut the lead to 22-20 at the halftime buzzer.
The second half started well for the Lions, as a basket by Davis and a three from Danny Winston put Ritter ahead 28-23. A three-point play by Wilson cut the lead to 28-26, but the Lions were able to answer back with a basket by Edwards and Davis to take a 32-26 lead. Each time the Tigers came close, the rest of the quarter, Ritter answered back with a basket of their own, taking a 35=33 lead at three-quarter time.
In the final period, the Lions started out well, extending the advantage to 38-32, with Edwardsville attempting to come back each time, but Ritter used their swarming defense to turn away the attempts. Weller fouled out with 2:54 left in regulation, and from there, the Lions were able to hit free throws to take the 49-40 win.
Wilson led the Tigers with 10 points, while Niemi, Weller, and Butler all had nine points each, and Borden had three points. The Lions were led by Davis, with 11 points, while Wright had 10 points, Lewis and Winston had eight points each, another player hit for five points, Ismael Isidor had four points, and Darnell Irving scored two points.
The Lions are now 9-9 while the Tigers go to 13-6, and play at Eisenhower on Friday at 7:30 p.m., then come home next Tuesday to meet Mascoutah at 6 p.m., and play at Belleville West on Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m.
