COLLINSVILLE – Alton senior forward Josh Rivers led the way for the Redbirds with 16 points in their 66-61 win over Springfield High Tuesday night in the IHSA Class 4A regional at Vergil Fletcher Gym.
The Senators made a big run in the second quarter to take the lead, but Alton had a run of their own at the end of the period and at the start of the second half to go back in front, a run that proved to be decisive.
“We just couldn’t give up at the time,” Rivers said in a post-game interview. “We had a big run in the first quarter, but we tried to do a lot more things. We just kept going.”
And although the Redbirds were able to prevail and advance, Rivers feels that Alton could play better as a team.
“No, not really,” Rivers said. “We’ve gotta play better as a team, shoot the ball more.”
The Redbirds got off to a great start, but the Senators pulled their run in the second before Alton rallied to take a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. Although Rivers was in foul trouble, he gave credit to his team for hanging in there.
“I got into foul trouble, so I wasn’t in when they made the big run,” Rivers said, “but I just give it up to my team for not giving up. They kept playing hard.”
The Redbirds move on to the final on Friday night, where the host Kahoks await them. Both teams split their two Southwestern Conference games during the season, Alton winning at the buzzer at the Redbirds Nest, while Collinsville won the return game at Fletcher Gym. The rubber match will prove very intriguing, and Rivers thinks that it should be a very good game.
“Good game,” Rivers said. “They beat us last time, and we beat them the first time. Just gotta win.”
And there wasn’t anything in particular the Redbirds did that helped them win the game, especially down the stretch.
“Not much,” Rivers said. “We just played as a team.”
