BELLEVILLE – One of the most important things that any basketball team needs is a good bench, where players can come into the game at any time and provide a needed spark that his or her team may need as a game goes along.
One of those key players for Edwardsville’s boys team is Grayson Slagle, a senior reserve who provides a lift for the Tigers when called upon.
Edwardsville had a tough night on Friday, losing to defending Illinois Class 4A champions Belleville West 59-29 at the West gym. Although the Tigers lost, the team kept playing hard, which is one of the team’s trademarks.
“Yeah, we work hard in practice every day,” Slagle said in a postgame interview, “to the best of our ability, and just try and execute during the game. Sometimes, it doesn’t work out.”
The Tigers scored first on an early three-point basket, but the Maroons then went on a 12-0 run that helped West establish a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
“It’s rough getting by a team like that,” Slagle said. “They’re a very good basketball team, and we just didn’t execute as well as we wanted to tonight.”
Slagle is one of the first players who come off the bench during a game, and his role is a very simple one.
“I really just think my role as a player is just doing whatever the team needs me to do,” Slagle said, “and try to help out as best as I can.”
Slagle sees his specialty as a shooter, hitting a basket or a three at crucial times to help see the Tigers through. And with the postseason just around the corner, Slagle thinks that Edwardsville will be ready to go,
“I think our chances this postseason have been improving themselves throughout our season,” Slagle said, “playing very well, increasing our ability on our offense and defense.”
The Tigers are always prepared for the ups and downs of the IHSA postseason tournament, and despite their current record, Slagle believes that Edwardsville may surprise many an observer.
“We have a lot of players that can really surprise people,” Slagle said. “We might not be the tallest team in the conference, but we sure do have a lot of interchangeable parts in our offense.”
