WOOD RIVER – In a battle between two of the top teams in Illinois, the Staunton Bulldogs and the Columbia Eagles went down to the wire, but Staunton came away with a 44-36 victory at the Mike Fahnestock State Farm Shootout.
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The opening quarter was back and forth, with Columbia holding a slim 9-8 lead heading into the second quarter.
“That was a good win today. They are a great team and a great program, but I would take our kids any day. They play with heart and they compete every day,” Staunton head coach Ty Laux said.
Columbia continued to hold a narrow advantage in the second quarter and went into halftime leading 18-16.
Staunton came out strong in the third quarter, tightening up defensively and holding Columbia to just eight points. The Bulldogs outscored the Eagles 17-8 in the quarter to take a 33-26 lead into the final period.
“Lucas Dillion gets the number one matchup every time on defense, and tonight he stepped up and was able to slow down Smajic. The whole team did a great job defending him,” Laux said.
In the fourth quarter, Staunton kept the pressure on and outscored Columbia 11-10 to secure the eight-point win.
Staunton was led by Isiah Laux with 17 points, while Bryce Coalson added nine.
Columbia was paced by Brody Landgraf with 22 points and Eddie Smajic with seven.
The MVP of the game was Isiah Laux of Staunton.
