GRANITE CITY – Edwardsville’s outside shooting was a big factor in their 67-38 win over Chatham Glenwood in Tuesday night’s IHSA Class 4A Granite City Regional semifinal.
That may not have been necessarily what the Tigers had wanted to do, but once the three-pointers started falling, it helped Edwardsville gain the upper hand on the Titans.
“Our game plan was to get it into the post,” said the Tigers’ Jack Marinko, who had 16 points – 11 in the first half, thanks to some good outside shooting himself – on the night. “Then we came out there and they (the Titans) were sagging (on defense), so we went to our three-point (shooting) and it just came to us; late in the first half and the second half, we started knocking down some shots. I thought that was huge.”
Preparation was a key factor for Edwardsville, who entered the game atop the final Illinois Associated Press Class 4A poll and ranked No. 21 in USA Today’s Super 25 national poll, Marinko thought. “Coach (Mike) Waldo had us prepared,” Marinko said. “He said they were going to be wanting to do something on offense, and we were there to take it away; we knew they were going to play a little bit slower-paced game than what we saw on Friday (against Belleville East).”
With the Tigers heading into Friday’s final against 16-11 Alton, Marinko is excited about the chance to play for a championship and to advance to next week’s Ottawa Sectional. “I think it’s a huge deal,” Marinko said. “We won last year (at East St. Louis) and I think it’s a big thing coming back this year.
“I enjoy having the challenge; I think we just need to keep our head focused on what we’re going to do next and be prepared for the next game.”
Being ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 21 nationally is a big thing for the Tigers, Marinko thought. “That’s a big thing,” Marinko said about the rankings, “but we can’t be focused on that; we have to just keep our head in the game and be focused.”
The Tigers take on Alton Friday night for the Granite City Regional championship and Marinko knows it will be a big game against a Southwestern Conference rival.
“We’ve seen them twice before; they always bring a big crowd,” Marinko said. “They’re always hard to play against, they’re fast-paced.”
