Iose Epenesa goes in for two of his 19 points on Wednesday night at Edwardsville. (Photos by Dan Brannan).EDWARDSVILLE – Iose Epenesa led Edwardsville with 19 points, and Herb Martin added 18 points as the Tigers used an 11-0 run at the start of the second half to open up a lead, then held off a late Decatur Eisenhower rally to turn back the Panthers 62-56 in a boys basketball game played Wednesday night at Lucco-Jackson Gym.

With the win, Edwardsville bounced back from a loss at Moline last Saturday night 64-55, and went to 17-2 on the season. The Tigers had a tough first half, leading 30-28, but played well in the opening minutes of the second half, and it helped spell the difference in the game.

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“They can be hard to guard,” said Edwardsville head coach Dustin Battas. “they have multiple guys that can make threes, and (TiShawn Clemmons) scores about 20 points a game. So, (J.T. Moore) hurt us, really throughout the whole game, but especially in the first half. So hat halftime, it was just a few reminders of who we were guarding, what they can do, personnel reminders. And we just talked about being sharper. Our guys were trying physically, but mentally, we had some lapses on some things we were trying to practice yesterday. We came out, and I thought the first three minutes of the third quarter were excellent. We held them to six points in the third, and we scored 17, and I think that helped make a difference in the ball game.”

The Tigers did play very well in the opening of the second half, going on the 11-0 run to start, and it did help tremendously.

“We tried, like I said, to remind them of a few things we practiced,” Battas said. “We got a lay-up on a set play, Herb made a nice pass, Bryce (Pryor) made a nice pass to Herb, who made a nice pass to Iose on a set play, then Bryce made a three. We finally got some momentum going on offense, and we were able to get back-to-back stops on defense. The first half, it seemed like we’d stop them, and they’d come down and make a three. We’d stop them, and they’d get a lay-up. We couldn’t really piece multiple defensive stops together to get that lead.”

It was also Epenesa’s first game back since being away from the team to play in two All-Star football games he was selected to, and he made a difference in the Tigers.

“Iose was big tonight,” Battas said, “With their trapping and their zone, we thought he would be a matchup problem for them, Our guys did a good job in finding him early. He’s a little rusty, just from conditioning, but he knows all of our stuff; he’s a smart guy. He’s obviously really skilled, and I thought he was tremendous tonight, even fighting through some fatigue.”

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Miccah Butler also was a factor in the game, hitting four threes for 12 points, some at very opportune times.

“They play a little bit of a zone,” Battas said, “and so, he was able to make four threes early. I thought they really shaded him in the second half, in fact, they were yelling his location all the time. I thought that helped Iose and Herb get to the basket more, stretching the defense. So, we know Miccah can really shoot, and I was happy that tonight, he made those four in the first half. That was big for us.”

An early three by Butler and a pair of free throws by Epenesa gave Edwardsville an early 7-2 lead in the opening period, and from there, the Panthers would get close, but the Tigers always had an answer to keep the lead at four points. A basket by Rowan Weller, another three from Butler, and a pair of free throws by Martin extended the lead to 20-12, but a three-point play by Braeden Aphalone cut the Tiger lead to 20-15 at the end of the first. quarter.

A basket by Aphalone and a three from Moore gave Eisenhower a 20-20 tie to start the second, but the Tigers countered with a three by Butler and a basket by Martin to regain a five-point lead. Eisenhower hung in, and on free throws by Syonne Mitchell and Moore, managed to bring the Panthers back to within 30-28 at halftime.

The start of the third saw the Tigers play their best basketball of the game, as they went on their 11-0 run, led by Epenesa and Martin, to take a 41-28 lead. Epenesa also scored inside when he got the ball, helping the Tigers go out to a 47-39 lead after three. In the fourth, Moore led a good comeback attempt by Eisenhower, along with Clemmons, to give the Panthers a chance, but late free throws by Martin and Pryor helped the Tigers hold on to a 64-58 win.

Epenesa led Edwardsville with 19 points, while Martin came up with 18, Butler had 12 points, Weller scored six points, Pryor hit for five points, and Brandon Hoffmann scored two points. The Panthers were led by Garryon Henderson with 14 points, while Clemmons added 11 points, Monte Phillips scored eight points, Moore had five points, Ramir Tyus and Marcus Page both hit for four points, both Aphalone and Jahmir Beasley scored three points, and Mitchell scored two points.

Eisenhower is now 9-9 on the season, while the Tigers go to 17-2, and host Gateway STEM of St. Louis City Friday night, then go on the road next week to play at Mascoutah on Tuesday, and are at O’Fallon on Jan. 31, both games starting a 7:30 p.m., then play Madison at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the home of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, in Indianapolis Feb. 1 at 11 a.m.

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