ALTON – The Alton Redbirds beat Granite City on Friday in front of a full house to celebrate Senior Night and reach a 20-win campaign for the first time since the 20-18-19 season.
They would put their five-game win streak to the test the following night against Althoff Catholic.
The Crusaders came into the game having won nine straight and ranked the No. 1 team in IHSA Class 2A per the latest AP rankings.
It seemed like Alton had used up most of its energy the night before, getting off to a slow start against Althoff and eventually falling 56-47.
Alton head coach Dylan Dudley confirmed that his team’s mindset was not right on Saturday.
“This game was lost this afternoon at about 3:45,” he said. “Our mental focus was not where it needed to be. Teams have a sense of desperation to beat us. And I take responsibility for not getting our kids better prepared for that.”
But the Crusaders came to play.
They opened the game on an 11-2 streak and would lead 13-5 after the first quarter.
Bryden Gryzmala sparked the run with a three-pointer followed by a basket-and-one from Zach Winkeler. Alton’s Trai’Sean Sims answered with a basket before another score from Gryzmala and a trey from Luke Smith.
The Redbirds began the second quarter on a 9-3 run that saw them close the gap to 16-14 before the Crusaders ran away again. Steven Brown nailed a three, but the momentum killer was surely Gryzmala’s buzzer-beater triple heading into the locker rooms to make it 23-16 Althoff.
Althoff increased the margin thanks to two free throws from Dierre Hill Jr. and straight baskets from Gryzmala and Winkeler to make it 29-16, forcing Alton into a full timeout.
The Redbirds were still kept at bay and trailed 37-29 after three quarters.
The fourth was when Alton tried to make its move.
The Redbirds opened the final frame on an 8-2 run that saw them close the gap to 39-37 before back-to-back baskets from Althoff’s Hill Jr. and Smith to make it 43-37 heading into a full timeout with 4:22 left in the game.
Out of the timeout, Alton went on a nine-point spree thanks to three straight baskets from Kobe Taylor, the go-ahead basket from Semaj Stampley, and one free throw from Taylor to lead 46-43.
Brown nailed a three that tied the game back up before Patton Leib’s basket took the lead back at 48-46. Alton called another full timeout with 1:30 to go.
Taylor made one-of-two foul shots to make it a one-point game again, but the Crusaders were in the shooting bonus and closed the game on an eight-point run, six of those points coming from the foul line.
“I just didn’t think we had a very good, mature approach,” Dudley said. “I don’t think I’d say we underestimated them or showed a lack of respect. It’s just that you have to play the game with energy, effort, and enthusiasm. It doesn’t matter if it’s 3,000 people in the crowd, it doesn’t matter if it’s 1,500 people in the crowd on a Saturday night and you’re playing against someone not in your league.”
“We just dug ourselves too deep of a hole,” Dudley continued. “We were tough enough to fight back, but we weren’t tough enough to finish out the game. Disappointing loss for sure.”
Statistically, Alton was outscored every quarter except the second. Surprisingly, the Redbirds didn’t make a single three-pointer, which according to Dudley hasn’t happened in three years.
He said that his team also gave up 14 offensive rebounds, allowing for easy put-back baskets from the Crusaders.
Another big statistic is that Stampley was held to only four points and one field goal. He typically averages 20.2 points per game.
Jamarion Green had a career-high 19 points, 15 of which came in the second half when Alton switched its strategy and started throwing the ball up toward Green in the post. Taylor was next up with eight points.
Althoff’s trifecta of Gryzmala, Hill Jr., and Winkeler were all held below their averages, but still combined for 33 of Althoff’s 56 points.
Gryzmala led with 13 points, Hill had 12, Smith had nine, and Brown and Winkeler each had eight.
Althoff improved to 23-4 and will look to win their Gateway Metro Conference outright next week with away games against Maryville Christian on Tuesday and Metro-East Lutheran on Friday.
Alton falls to 20-6 and will also play two conference games next week at home against Belleville East on Tuesday and Belleville West on Friday.
All four of those games begin at 7:30 p.m.
