FREEBURG – Preston Weaver hit a three with 3:35 left in regulation that broke a 41-41 tie, and it helped propel Edwardsville to an 11-7 run to close out the game and defeat Freeburg 52-48 in a game played Saturday night at Freeburg High.
Weaver’s game-winning shot came after the Midgets had tied the game on a Colin Brueggemann basket early in the fourth, after which Edwardsville went into a slowdown game, getting a big rebound from Ethan Young after a Gabe James miss, and ended up taking three minutes-plus off the clock before Weaver’s three that gave the Tigers the lead.
The Tigers, behind a three from James, had taken a 13-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Midgets bounced back to take a 24-21 lead at halftime, and then held a 36-35 advantage at the end of the third quarter before Edwardsville came back to take the win.
A Brennan Weller lay-in increased the Tiger lead to 46-41 with just over two minutes left, but Freeburg battled back to within two three times in the stretch. Good free throw shooting by Edwardsville helped clinch the game, with Caleb Valentine and Weaver hitting clutch free throws to give the Tigers the win.
Weller lead the Tigers with 16 points on the night, while Young scored 10, Jack Nafziger had nine points, all on threes, and Weaver had a career-high seven points.
Luke Ervie led the Midgets with 15 points, while Brueggemann came up with 10 points, Griffin Range scored eight points and Austin Lickenbrock had seven.
Edwardsville is now 9-6 on the season and has a busy week ahead, starting with a road game at Highland on Tuesday night, then hosting a pair of Southwestern Conference match-ups this week, going up against East St. Louis on Wednesday, then meeting Alton on Friday in the nightcap of a girls-boys doubleheader. All games tip off at 7:30 p.m.
