COLLINSVILLE - Edwardsville girls basketball player Blakely Hockett has stepped up into a key role for the Tigers while the team is playing shorthanded, without some key players currently out because of COVID protocols.

On Thursday night, Hockett contributed big minutes and plays as the Tigers defeated Collinsville 53-40 in a Southwestern Conference girls game at Vergil Fletcher Gym.

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Hockett was very happy with the team play of the Tigers, and also thought the team executed its game plan very well.

For her efforts, Blakely Hockett is one of the iCAN Clinic Edwardsville High School Female Athletes Of The Month.

"I'm happy with how the team played," Hockett said during a postgame interview, "and I'm just happy we executed well with missing two of our big players that are seniors, and one of our juniors."

"I think the team's doing really well," Hockett said. "It was just like working hard and everyone just working together and executing."

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The Tigers have bounced back very well from dropping a pair of games in Chicagoland Shootouts in December and finishing fifth in the Visitation Christmas Tournament over the Holidays, and it's especially important as the second half of the season is now underway.

"I think we did well with coming back and getting back into the groove," Hockett said. "it was actually like executing everything and making sure we finish strong."

Hockett feels that if the Tigers stay strong and keep playing together, good things will very much happen for the team.

"I just think that we just stay strong and everyone that got minutes worked well," Hockett said, "and we just did what we needed to."

As far as goals for the second half and the IHSA Class 4A playoffs, Hockett thinks that it'll take a team effort for the Tigers to enjoy success.

"I hope we just play really well," Hockett said, "and make sure we finish and try to do our best and get through the regionals and sectionals. I'm really excited."

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