GRANITE CITY – Caleb Strohmeier’s game-leading 19 points, along with strong defense, helped Edwardsville to a hard fought 42-37 road win over Granite City in a Southwestern Conference boys basketball game Friday night at Granite’s Memorial Gymnasium.
The Tigers’ defense was a big factor in a game that was closely contested from start to finish.
“I though my guys did a really good job defensively, tonight,” said Edwardsville coach Mike Waldo. “You know, Granite City — they do a good job. They’re well coached, they know what they’re doing, and they’ve got some athletes. And I think defensively, we really did a good job. We really played well defensively.
“I thought that Strohmeier and (Jaylon) Tuggle did a really good job against their main guys; those guys are good players (Emmitt Gordon and Zidane Moore),” Waldo continued. “And I thought Jack (Marinko), Malik (Robinson), and R.J. (Wilson) really did a good job defensively of giving help and rebounding. And our defense was what kept us in it.”
For a young Warrior team, the game was part of a learning process that will undoubtedly help down the road.
“What we’re doing over here, our kids are learning how to compete,” said Granite coach Gerard Moore, “and after you learn how to compete, you’ve got to learn how to win. And it’s a process. You need games like this to win the games like this. So, I feel really proud of how my guys played. It really boiled down to missing and making. Missing key threes in the corner, and gave up a key three in the fourth quarter that kind of hurt us.”
The Warriors had a week to get ready for the Tigers, and played very well defensively themselves. Missing the key shots, however, came back to haunt Granite.
“We had a week to practice for Marinko,” Moore said, “and we had a really good game plan coming in, and we felt confident that we were going to be able to slow him down a little bit, But, like I said, we played well on defense, but we just have to make shots. If we make shots, it’s a different ball game.”
The Tigers jumped out to a quick lead from the opening tip, as Marinko scored twice, Strohmeier hit a pair of threes, and Wilson scored to send the Tigers to a 12-4 lead in the opening 3:15. Edwardsville extended its lead to nine later in the period before Robinson hit before the buzzer to give the Tigers a 17-9 lead after one. The Warriors were able to end a long dry spell early in the second, getting a Gordon free throw and a basket from Donavon Green to cut the lead to 17-12. Green and Jerry Watson then lead a Warrior charge to cut the lead down to 19-18 before Robinson hit a three before the siren to give the Tigers a 22-18 lead at halftime.
The second half started with the Warriors drawing level at 22-22, thanks to baskets from Green and Moore before Marinko hit a tough shot from inside to give the Tigers the lead back at 24-22. After Moore retied the game, Marinko hit a three on the side to give the Tigers a three point edge at 27-24. Strohmeier extended the lead on a three-point play before Davontay Mason and Watson cut the lead to 30-28, where it stood entering the final quarter. A pair of Mason free throws tied things up again at the start of the period. Tuggle then hit a big three with 4:50 left, and two free throws by Strohmeier gave the Tigers a 35-30 lead.
Undaunted, the Warriors fought back, getting five straight points from Watson, including a three-point play to tie it up at 35-35 with 2:39 remaining. A Strohmeier free throw gave the lead back to Edwardsville before the two teams traded baskets before an Edwardsville turnover gave the ball back to Granite with 1:26 to play. The Warriors missed a shot from close in, however, and Strohmeier hit both ends of a one-and-one with 30.3 seconds left to give the Tigers a 40-37 edge. The Warriors had one last chance, but Nick Grote missed a three, and a pair of Malinko free throws gave Edwardsville the final 42-37 margin.
Waldo was quick to praise the Warriors’ defense, which held Marinko to 11 points on the night.
“First of all, I thought Granite City’s defense was very good,” Waldo said. “They made it hard to score. They did a lot of different things defensively well. And I think you’ve just got to give their coaching staff and their players credit, because they did a lot of things on defense, a lot of different things, and they did them all well, and that’s always hard to play against. So you’ve got to give them credit there.”
Marinko was held to 11 points on the night, but he made other key contributions to the Tigers.
“I thought that Jack had a really good game with the ball,” Waldo said. “I thought he did a really good job as a playmaker tonight. And they made it really hard for Jack to get shots, but Jack was an excellent playmaker; I though he distributed the ball great, and I thought he did a good job on defense.”
A second quarter cold spell hurt the Warriors in the long run, and that was to Edwardsville’s credit, according to Moore.
“It did,” Moore said. “They did a really good job, coach Waldo, recognizing who our shooters were. They put two really good defenders on Zidane Moore and Emmitt Gordon, our two leading scorers, and they kind of double dared the rest of the guys to make shots. And overall, they did a good job. They just did not make enough baskets to win the game.”
And things are looking on the bright side for Granite.
“We are getting better,” Moore said. “And we feel like, come regional time, we should be able to compete. You play these games to play in the playoffs. Playoffs really matter. Pre-season really doesn’t. We can get hot at the right time, maybe, and win three games in the playoffs, and win the regional. So I’m excited about our future, and how we are playing right now. I think we’re moving forward. We’re gonna be alright.”
The Tigers play Tuesday at Collinsville and next Friday at Alton, and Waldo knows that the Tigers will be prepared for both games.
“Our guys have done a good job of just practicing well every day,” Waldo said, “and just trying to prepare for our next opponent. And our guys have done a really, really good job with that. And I think that showed tonight. We hadn’t played for a week, and I thought that we did a good job of executing a lot of things good.
“I just think your preparation for each game will help make you better,” Waldo continued, “and I think we’ve just got to keep preparing for each game. And I think the preparations you do for different things you see just make you better as the year goes on.”
The Warriors host O’Fallon on Tuesday and Belleville East next Friday, and Moore is looking ahead to the next two home games.
“Coach Waldo’s a heck of a coach,” Moore said. “It was really fun coaching against him, and our fans were into it, and I’m just sorry we weren’t able to pull it out for our fans.”
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
