WOOD RIVER – Tavion Walker led the way with 18 points as East Alton-Wood River got past backyard rival Roxana 50-43 Friday night at Wood River's Memorial Gym. The win put the Oilers at 2-5 on the year, while the Shells fell to 2-4 on the season.
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“Both teams came out with intensity,” said Shell coach Mark Briggs. “We've got a really young team and our kids are new to that kind of an environment; they played well, but we didn't do a good job on defense; Wood River's a tough place to play – we've always have had tough games there – but this game is a measuring stick for both teams every year.
“We started four freshmen and a sophomore tonight, and we're such a young team, we've talked to the kids about using every game, every quarter of every game, as a learning experience and to take something from everything and learn from it. They just executed better than we did and made the plays; they deserved the win.”
Darren Spruill had 14 points for EAWR; the Shells were led by Gavin Huffman's 14 points while Drew Beckman had 10 and Jake Golenor eight.
Roxana heads to Pana for a 6:30 p.m. South Central Conference game this evening, while EAWR next meets Red Bud at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at home.
