BELLEVILLE – Edwardsville basketball senior A.J. Robertson scored 12 points as the Tigers played perhaps their best overall game of the season Feb. 22, winning over Belleville East 44-37 at the East gym.
Edwardsville started off hot in that game, hitting threes and playing good defense. The Tigers worked on their shots during practice, and the team’s hard work paid big dividends.
“Oh, yeah, we definitely had a great day today,” Robertson said in an interview that followed the game against the Lancers. “We’ve been working in practice on our shots, and obviously, it’s showing now.”
And the performance couldn’t have come at a better time for the Tigers. Edwardsville won their last two regular-season games before getting a 56-46 win over Granite City in the regional opener Feb. 25. The Tigers lost to Collinsville 54-34 in the semifinals Feb. 26.
Robertson said the Tigers’ goal all season was to be on top of their game around postseason.
“Throughout the whole season, we wanted to get better,” he said. “This was the time that we want to play our best basketball is here at the end of February and the beginning of March.”
Robertson, a senior who showed great leadership on and off the court during the season, felt the Tigers were ready for the postseason. Robertson felt that he played pretty well against East, with everyone contributing to the team win that night.
“I think I did OK,” Robertson said. “I think the shots were falling, obviously, for (Jaylon) Tuggle and me, and I think the ball handlers and the rebounders did a great job of getting the ball out from underneath the rim, and not letting them get offensive rebounds, and got the ball upcourt quickly, which led us to open shots, so I think that’s what it was.”
