COLLINSVILLE – The record will show that Kaitlyn Fischer had 25 points for Collinsville in their game on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2015.
The last two points the junior guard scored, though, will likely be the source of many stories when the history of area girls basketball is discussed.
That’s because Fischer’s driving lay-in with 1.5 seconds to go gave the Kahoks a stunning 70-68 win over Edwardsville at Fletcher Gym Thursday night, bringing to an end the Tigers’ 89-game Southwestern Conference winning streak. Edwardsville hadn’t lost a league game in nearly eight years since dropping a decision at Belleville West in January 2009 prior to Thursday’s shock result.
“They deserved the win tonight,” said Tiger coach Lori Blade. “We still had our chances, we were in foul trouble the whole game; I don’t think I’ve ever been so handcuffed in my life on the sidelines, but we had our chances. They outplayed us.
“They got the loose balls, they hit the shots, we lost shooters (referring to three of the Tigers’ top players – Rachel Pranger, Kate Martin and Criste’on Waters – who had fouled out of the game in the final quarter). We just have to be better defensively than what we were tonight.”
Blade knew the Kahoks could shoot the lights out of the building and it might be a factor going in. “We talked before the game, when you can shoot like the Collinsville kids can shoot – and the always have – if they got hot, no lead is safe and it doesn’t matter what’s going on, they’re in the game,” Blade said.
“I’ve seen them do it before,” said Kahok coach Lori Billy. “We’ve got some kids who can shoot.”
Collinsville’s cause was helped by connecting on several big three-point shots all night; they hit 11 three-balls, including several big ones down the stretch, that made a difference. “We were able to get ourselves spread out and we wanted to run,” Billy said, “and we got some big shots to go down.
“I mean, it’s Edwardsville; they’re amazing every time you step on the floor with them.”
Several of those three-pointers the Kahoks hit came from Lauren Lee and Carlee Mahan; combined, they kept the Kahoks within striking distance or even gave them the lead at several points in the second half, especially the decisive final quarter.
Fischer’s game-winner came from a discussion the Kahoks had during a timeout with under 15 seconds to go. “We talked about what we wanted to get at the end and try to get a shot up; we got the shot up and it went down,” Billy said.
Despite Edwardsville’s losses down the stretch, Makenzie Silvey did her best to keep the Tigers in it; she scored many of her 25 points in the final moments of the game, and Billy gave her credit. “She’s amazing,” Billy said. “She’s a fantastic player and she carried them.”
The significance to the Kahok win didn’t escape Billy either. “You can have nothing but respect for coach Blade and her program and the fact they won 89 games in a row in the Southwestern Conference,” Billy said. “I’ve got to admit it feels good to get a win like this for our program.”
Blade herself didn’t put a whole lot of emphasis on the Tigers’ string when it was going on, but said there were lessons her players could learn from it. “We’re a little shell-shocked in there,” Blade said. “All the credit to coach Billy; she had them ready to go, they hit the shots they needed to hit and did what they did.
“It was (quite an accomplishment); I’m glad it’s done. I didn’t want to lose, but I’m glad it’s done. We’re still young; we have experience, but we’re still young. Kids today feel entitled at times, and I hope our kids aren’t, but they’ve enjoyed an awful lot of success over the last few years, and we’ve got to go back to the grind and start working again.”
In addition to Fischer, Mahan had 17 points for Collinsville (4-1 overall, 1-0 SWC) and Lee 12; Jasmine Bishop had 15 points for Edwardsville and Pranger 12 in addition to Silvey.
The Tigers host Belleville East at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Lucco-Jackson Gym, while the Kahoks travel to East St. Louis Tuesday.
