HIGHLAND – Edwardsville’s boys basketball team knew going into the matchup with Belleville Althoff for the Battling Bulldogs Thanksgiving Tourney championship would be tough, but it turned out to be a real nailbiter.
The Tigers prevailed 81-78, with the game coming down to last-second plays to capture the first-place Battling Bulldogs Tourney trophy over the Crusaders. Edwardsville was ahead by 15 in the fourth quarter, but Belleville Althoff used its quickness, a full-court press and athleticism to roar back.
Edwardsville senior Mark Smith had a career game, scoring 37 points and provided a key thrust to push the Tigers to the crown.
“Althoff is difficult to defend and I thought our team really battled defensively and our guys ran a lot of good offense today,” Tigers’ coach Mike Waldo said. “They (Althoff) are athletic and they are hard to play against. We turned the ball over some later but I think you have to give them credit for causing that.”
“They did a good job of pressuring and you knew they could do that,” Waldo said. “I thought we made some good plays against that. We had a few turnovers but it is early in the year.
“I think being able to beat them is a good win. They are a good team. I thought my guys tried hard to keep (Jordan) Goodwin from getting the ball. I do think my guys (Caleb) Strohmeier and (Nathan) Kolesa worked really hard to limit his touches. But he is a good athlete and he tries hard to get the ball. I think you have to give him a lot of credit. He tried hard to get the ball the whole game and he did a good job making plays.”
Waldo praised Smith for his career-best offensive explosion and A.J. Epenesa and Smith for their efforts defensively and under the boards.
Tigers’ senior Epenesa didn’t take long to get into form, with a huge game underneath the basket, tossing in 21 points and snaring 15 rebounds. Epenesa’s intimidating board play was a key for the Tigers winning the contest. It was only Epenesa’s second appearance of the young season because of the transition from football to basketball.
Junior Jack Marinko made one charity toss to push the Tigers up 79-76 with little time remaining, but again, Althoff rallied behind star Goodwin, who amassed 32 points in the game. Goodwin knocked in a two-pointer and was fouled, but failed to convert, leaving the score 79-78 Edwardsville. Oliver Stephen made a clutch layup to push the Tigers up 81-78, the final in the game.
Stephen finished with nine points, followed by Marinko with seven points, Strohmeier with six points and Kolesa with one point. Kolesa saw considerable playing time off the bench and was stellar on the defensive side of the court. The Tigers had starters in foul trouble late in the game, so Kolesa played a key role. Dante Ray added 21 points for the Crusaders.
Althoff coach Greg Lieb said there is nobody more competitive than Goodwin, bound for St. Louis University next season, and it showed late in Saturday night’s game against the Tigers. He rallied his teammates around him to make a late bid at winning the game.
“With two days of practice together and facing a team like Edwardsville might need more time to get ready for a Mike Waldo team,” Lieb said. “Of our top 10 players, seven were members of the playoff team. The guys will be there no laying down, not pointing fingers, I didn’t see any of that. Edwardsville outplayed us and won the game.”
The game was tied at 22-all at the end of the first quarter, then Edwardsville slipped ahead 35-30 at the half and 62-51 at the end of three. The Crusaders raced back in the fourth with 27 points to the Tigers’ 19.
Edwardsville, 4-0, plays again at 6:30 Saturday against another formidable foe in Belleville West at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in the first SWC at the E event. The contests will feature various Southwestern Conference teams in their openers in one setting.
