Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
EDWARDSVILLE - Preston Weaver hit back-to-back three-point shots late in the game, and Nic Hemken cooly sank a pair of free throws in the final seconds as Edwardsville held off a late Belleville East 9-2 run to defeat the Lancers 48-45 in the Tigers' regular-season finale and Senior Night game Friday night at Lucco-Jackson Gym.
In pregame ceremonies, the Tigers honored their six seniors - Ethan Young, Hemken, Willie Thomas, Calen McKinney, Jack Nafziger and Gavin Reames - and their families, along with the senior members of the cheerleading and dance teams, and thanked them for their contributions to the Edwardsville program. As for the game itself, it was a close, hard-fought affair most of the way, with neither team leading by more than three until the Tigers went on a run in the middle of the fourth quarter that brought the lead to 10. The Lancers rallied late to cut the lead to one, and had a chance to tie and force overtime, but a mid-court buzzer-beater hit off the back of the rim and bounced away to give Edwardsville a great team win.
"A great team win," said Tigers' head coach Dustin Battas. "You said it exactly right, a team win. We needed Ethan to make more baskets, he did that. We needed Gabe (James) to come in and sub for Brennan (Weller) in the first half, because Brennan had foul trouble, Gabe came in and made some baskets. We needed Preston to win the game, and he struggled in the first half, and I got all over him. Some guys don't respond well to that, boy, he obviously showed how tough he is, and he helped us win that game with those two big threes. And he's a tremendous kid, he's smart, he works hard, so we've got high expectations for Preston, and he likes it when we coach him, so he's a great kid in the locker room. I thought our seniors obviously did great, and we did just enough there at the end to take care of the ball, and Nic hit those huge free throws, and Nic got two huge rebounds at the end there. So, I'm happy for our guys; I'm not surprised, because they've been practicing well, and it just kind of all gelled together tonight, with contributions from the whole team."
It was a tremendous win, especially for the five seniors on the team who were playing their final regular-season home game.
"Us coaches have a lot of admiration for our seniors," Battas said. "It's a great group, because they care about each other, they don't care who get the credit, they do whatever we tell them to do, they're smart and they're tough. And so, we're happy to honor them. We know we've got hopefully two more games here, but we were happy to make them leave here with a smile, and send them out the right way. But I'm not surprised, because of how competitive those seniors are, and how mature they are, and it means a lot to them."
The first quarter was a very nip-and-tuck affair, with Ethyn Brown hitting the first basket of the game to put the Lancers ahead, but Young countering with a three to put the Tigers up for the first time in the proceedings at 3-2. The lead switch back-and-forth until Nafziger hit a three on the side to put Edwardsville up 8-6. Again, the two teams traded scores until late, when Bryson Ivy scored off a Lancer steal to make it 13-12, but Caleb Valentine scored from just inside the three-point arc at the buzzer to give the Tigers a 14-13 lead after the first quarter.
A Valentine basket in the lane at the start of the second quarter upped the Edwardsville advantage to 16-13, but East tied it right up on a three from Ivy. James hit on back-to-back baskets to give the Tigers a 20-16 lead, forcing a Lancer time out, and East came right out and went on an 8-0 run, getting a free throw from Ivy, a follow-up basket from Braxton Stacker, and a three and two free throws from Brown to give East a 24-20 lead. Weller then scored back-to-back to tie the game 24-24, but a pair of Stacker free throws shortly before the buzzer gave the Lancers a 26-24 lead at halftime.
The sides traded baskets to open the second half, but a Weller free throw and Hemken basket gave Edwardsville the lead back at 29-28. Young extended the lead to four on a three in the corner, and another three, this time from Nafziger, put the Tigers up 35-28, causing another East time out with 2:01 left in the third. There was no further scoring, and Edwardsville held its lead after three quarters.
A three from Jordan Pickett cut the Edwardsville lead to 35-31 at the start of the final quarter, but a Weller basket upped the Tigers lead to 37-31. After a Lancer free throw, Weller hit on a big three-point play to make it 40-32, but back came East, and it was a basket from Pickett and a pair of free throws from Brown that cut the lead to 40-36. Weaver then came back with his clutch back-to-back threes, the first coming with 2:47 left and the second with 1:57 to go in regulation that gave the Tigers their biggest lead of the night at 46-36.
After East called time with 1:47 left, the Lancers responded with a 9-0 run, starting with a free throw from Eric Wade that made it a nine-point game. A lay-in by Ivy, a free throw from Stacker and a basket from Wade suddenly made it a four-point game at 46-42, forcing a Tiger time out with 40.4 seconds left in regulation. A big three from Brown with 22.9 seconds left made it a 46-45 game, and both teams missed free throws to keep the score the same. With 6.5 second left, Hemken went to the line and cooly converted a pair of free throws to make it 48-45. A last drive by the Lancers went over the top of the backboard with 0.6 seconds left, and Edwardsville inbounded the ball, but the pass was intercepted by Brown at mid-court. Brown immediately lifted a shot before the buzzer, but the ball hit the back of the rim and bounced away, giving the Tigers a hard-fought 48-45 win.
Weller led Edwardsville with 11 points, while Young connected for 10, Weaver and Nafziger had six points each, and both Valentine and James hit for four points apiece. The Lancers were led by Ivy with 10 points, both Wade and Stacker had nine points each, Brown had four points and Pickett had three.
The Lancers end the regular season 17-13, 4-8 in the Southwestern Conference, and will host an IHSA Class 4A regional next week, playing crosstown rival and defending two-time state champions Belleville West in the second semifinal Wednesday. The Tigers finish up 22-9, 6-6 in the league, but having won 12 of its final 14 games, including an 11-game winning streak that helped turned the season around. Edwardsville will also host a Class 4A regional, and meet up with Quincy in the second semifinal of a doubleheader on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m., which follows Alton and O'Fallon at 6 p.m.
Edwardsville will enter the postseason with momentum, and Battas is looking forward to hosting the regional next week.
"It's a great feeling," Battas said. "We're excited to host the regional. We're excited to get to play Quincy, and we will hopefully start having our best practices of the year tomorrow, and we really look forward to practice. Our guys come ready to work, and we'll just keep finding ways to win these close ones, and our guys seemed to find a way to do that most of the year."
And the chance to play Quincy, one of the biggest names in both Illinois and national high school basketball, and win over the Blue Devils is a great opportunity.
"Yeah, it's been a great rivalry, dating all the way back in the four-class system," Battas said, "when Spencer Stewart and those guys played a good game against Quincy. We've played them a couple of times in the postseason. They're well-coached; it means a lot to them. It's a basketball community, so we'll certainly have our hands full. They've got four guys who can shoot, and they'll play good defense. Our guys like to compete, though, and sometimes, those good teams bring out the best in you, so we're excited.
"Just really happy for our seniors," Battas continued, "and guys like Willie Thomas Calen McKinney, Gavin Reames, and sometimes, they don't get their name in the paper, but man, they do so much for us behind the scenes, and so, I was happy tonight to honor them, and get them into the game, even if it was a brief moment, because those guys deserve all the rewards that are available to them. They're great guys."Chris Rhodes also contributed to this story.
