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EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville head coach Kaylie Gudka said she couldn't be more proud of how her squad battled with a tough Alton girls team, despite a 62-39 loss on Thursday night, Jan. 29, 2026, at Edwardsville.
Gudka said: "Our girls came out with great defensive stops, great defensive energy. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the ball in the bucket as many times as we wanted to tonight.”
Especially in the third quarter, Alton failed to finish many of their opportunities to score, and it helped keep the Tigers in the game until the fourth quarter, where the Redbirds outscored the Tigers to pull away.
“They have a little bit more depth right now, they really hit us," Coach Gudka said of Alton's girls. "Our depth isn’t as great, but at the end of the night, I couldn’t be more proud of these girls, their effort, their energy, coming and showing up every single day. Again, I couldn’t be more proud, and I’m very proud to coach this team,”
The Tigers are now 11-11 overall on the season, as the final month of the campaign is about to begin, with the IHSA Class 4A playoffs around the corner. Gudka is looking to finish strong and prepare for the postseason.
“We really have a tough road ahead of us,” Gudka said. “We have (Belleville) East and O’Fallon, and it’s a tough week, and then, we play Breese Central next week, so it’s definitely going to be a tough challenge next week, but we’re up for it.”
Gudka is confident that her players are ready for the postseason.
“Oh, yeah, we’re ready,” she said with a smile. “Our girls are ready.”
The Tigers are at Belleville East on Tuesday, and host O’Fallon next Thursday at 7:30 p.m., then host Breese Central Feb. 7 at 1:30 p.m. 
