O'FALLON - Brennan Weller once again scored at least 20 points, hitting exactly 20 points on the night, while both Jack Nafziger and Ethan Young scored five points each. But missed shots told the story of the game, as Edwardsville lost to O'Fallon 47-39 in a Southwestern Conference boys basketball game played Tuesday night at the Panther Dome.
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It was a close game all the way until near the end, when the Panthers were able to pull away and get the win.
"It was really close until the end," said Tiger coach Dustin Battas, "and then, O'Fallon hit a bunch of free throws."
The Tiger defense continues to shine, as Young held O'Fallon's leading scorer, Shaun Riley II, to four points in the game.
"I was really proud of our defense," Battas said. "Ethan did a good job of holding their leading scorer to four points. We as a team did a good job defensively. We just had a hard time making shots. We missed some shots around the rim, and we also missed some threes."
The Tigers did hold a 21-16 halftime lead, and continued to play well defensively, giving them a chance to win. But the missed shots again proved to be the difference.
"We did a lot of things well," Battas said, "but we've got to make a few more baskets."
The Panthers improve to 23-6 and conclude their regular season Friday night at home against Alton, while the Tigers are now 21-9, dropping back-to-back games after having their 11-game winning streak snapped. Edwardsville will host Belleville East in the regular-season finale and annual Senior Night game on Friday night, with both games tipping off at 7:30 p.m.
"We will honor some great seniors on Friday," Battas said, "and hopefully play our best game of the season."
