SEE FULL GAME VIDEO BELOW:
COLLINSVILLE – Time after time this postseason, Alton’s Maurice Edwards has delivered when his team needed him most.
Shots at the siren, like the ones that eliminated both Chatham Glenwood and Quincy in the Redbirds’ IHSA Class 4A regional. Two huge free throws down the stretch that eliminated Edwardsville in Tuesday’s Collinsville Sectional semifinal.
With 5.8 seconds left in regulation time, naturally, the Redbirds turned to the junior to come up with a shot or play that would send AHS into Tuesday’s Normal Supersectional at Illinois State’s Redbird Arena.
Edwards lofted a shot to the basket right before the siren sounded – but this time, the ball narrowly bounced off the rim and into the arms of Kevin Caldwell, who couldn’t get a shot off before the buzzer as East Moline United – on the strength of two free throws from Traveon Buchanan with 8.8 seconds to go – advanced into the supersectional at ISU, eliminating the Redbirds with a 50-48 win before a packed, enthusiastic house at Fletcher Gym.
The Panthers will take on Chicago Simeon, 88-75 winners over Harvey Thornton in Friday’s Chicago Heights Bloom sectional final, at Redbird Arena Tuesday night with a trip to next weekend’s Class 4A state tournament in Peoria on the line.
The Redbirds were looking for Edwards to make a play, as he had throughout the playoffs, to at least force overtime. Alton had called a time out with 5.8 seconds to go after a Panther foul – their sixth of the half – to talk about what they wanted to do, and the answer was pretty simple.
“(Alton wanted) Mo to make a play,” Redbird coach Eric Smith said. “He’s done it for us in a handful of games and he’s a pretty dynamic player, so I don’t feel too bad with the ball in his hands.”
That final sequence was set up by Buchanan making both ends of a one-and-one with 8.8 seconds left in a 48-48 game; Marcus Latham had been called for the foul that put Buchanan at the line, and Buchanan didn’t miss. “We had to get up a little bit and challenge a little bit and not make it too easy on him,” Smith said. “He can’t just come down and turn the corner on us; we had to be physical and they (the officials) called it at the end of the game.”
Edwards had seemingly taken over the game in the second half; he had made several straight shots to put the Redbirds out to as much as a seven-point lead in the third term before an off-balance three-ball from Buchanan cut the lead to 37-33 at three-quarter time. Buchanan himself helped ignite a run for the Panthers that managed to give them a 44-43 lead with 4:20 to go in regulation time; Latham hit a three-ball of his own to put Alton back on top 46-44, but both teams went into the final two minutes level at 48.
Alton held the ball, hoping to play for one last shot, but East Moline managed to steal the ball and went to the basket, but missed before Buchanan was fouled with 8.8 left; his subsequent free-throw makes set up one last try for Alton, and the prospect and how the play unfolded gave first-year Panther coach Ryan Webber a few scares.
“For a young guy, I think my heart rate stopped three times while the ball was in flight,” Webber quipped. “When it hit the rim and bounced straight up and I heard the horn, it was like the best feeling in the world.”
Webber knew the Redbirds would come out quick. “They were as fast as advertised and they’re well-coached,” Webber said. “They do a great job; our defense just really stepped up and got some key stops. (Edwards) is a big-time player; hats off to him. I’m just glad my guys showed their toughness; you had to be tough to win this game.
“Nobody lost it; we had to win it.”
United (24-6 overall, winning their first sectional title since 2003) held 12-10 and 24-22 leads at quarter and half time before Edwards’-led run put Alton ahead by as much as eight points in the third term before the Panthers stormed back to take the lead.
Buchanan led all scorers with 26 points, with Jacob Meeske adding eight and Bryant Jefferson six; Edwards had 18 points to lead the Redbirds (eliminated at 16-11 and in their second straight sectional final), with Latham adding 13 and Paul Harris nine.
SEE POST-GAME INTERVIEW WITH COACH SMITH BELOW:
SEE INTERVIEW WITH COACH RYAN WEBBER BELOW:
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
