EDWARDSVILLE - Forward Jacquelin Anderson had a big start and a big finish to her final regular-season home game on Edwardsville's Senior Night on Monday, being in the starting lineup, and then ending the game with a flourish, scoring seven points in the final minute of the Tigers' 64-34 win over St. Louis Lutheran North at Lucco-Jackson Gym.
Anderson was one of five seniors honored in pregame ceremonies, along with Que Love, Amanda Mills, Kylie Burg and Maria Smith and their families, and all five seniors got the start in their final home game. And Anderson finished strong with her seven-point outburst at the end.
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"Yeah, it was just so great to be able to go out there, and finish it off with my team," Anderson said during a postgame interview. "Last one on the court, get a good win, and it was just really exciting to do it together."
When Anderson does get the chance to play, she sees her role as a set-up player, sending over good passes, setting screens for shots and take her shots when she get the opportunity.
"My role, I think, I gotta go in, and when I go in, I've got to make sure I'm setting up people for good passes," Anderson said, "off to get good shots. I've gotta go in, set my good screens, and when I'm open, take my shots."
And Anderson, along with the other seniors, were also honored by being in the starting lineup, a reward for all of her hard work in practice.
"It was such an honor," Anderson said. "Coach (Lori) Blade says everything, we earn, so it was really great to be out there with my team tonight, to finish up with them."
And Anderson indeed finished strong with her seven points in less than a minute, hitting on a driving lay-up, a three from near the top of the key and a pair of free throws. And her teammates loved it as well, with one of them yelling "she's feeling it!' after Anderson connected on her three-ball.
"Yeah, it did, and my teammates were setting me up for good shots," Anderson said, "with good screens, and be able to drive the lane, good passes, everything like that, so it wouldn't be possible without them."
When asked about a favorite memory of her four years with the Tigers, Anderson mentioned two of them.
"Oh, man, you know, probably my sophomore year, going up to get that fourth-place title at state," Anderson said. "That was really exciting to travel with them. And then, last year, we all participated in our school talent show together, so that was so much fun in all that time together off the court as well."
For the record, the team performed a dance number that was well-received.
The regular season is winding down into its final stretch drive, and Edwardsville finishes the regular season with three road games, at East St. Louis, O'Fallon and Alton, in that order, before starting the IHSA Class 4A playoffs. Anderson is looking forward to the final stretch.
"We just got to get into practice these next couple of days, work hard," Anderson said, "no team can be taken lightly. We've got a tough conference, so we've got to keep eyes going one game at a time this weekend, and end up where we want at the end of the season."
And that one game at a time mantra will carry over once the postseason begins, but Anderson and the Tigers have a common goal: To make it to the state finals, and possibly win it all.
"Of course," Anderson said. "We want to get all the way and win the whole thing, but we've got to take it one game at a time. So we're just going to focus on our next competition, which taking it one step at a time will get us to the end."
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