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Marcus Latham signs with Parkland CC - Riverbender.com - 4/15/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

Latham signs letter of intent to attend Parkland Community College

 
by Brent Feeney, Sports Writer
published April 15 2016 3:02 PM
 
 
1
 

 

Marcus Latham at his signing with Parkland Community College. (Photo by Brent Feeney)
Marcus Latham at his signing with Parkland Community College. (Photo by Brent Feeney)

 

GODFREY – Marcus Latham didn't see a lot of playing time his junior year as part of Alton's boys basketball team.

Things were much different this year as Latham took advantage of the opportunity and helped lead the Redbirds to a 16-11 record and their second straight IHSA Class 4A sectional final, where they dropped a narrow decision to East Moline United in the final in Collinsville; he averaged 14.1 points per game last season.

Latham's hard work and effort on the court didn't go unnoticed, and in a ceremony Friday morning, Latham signed a letter of intent to attend Parkland Community College in Champaign next season.

“I think it's going to be a real good school for me,” Latham said following the ceremony. “Coach (Anthony Figueroa, the Cobras' head coach) is going to make sure nothing is going to be given to me; that's how I want to go, I want to earn everything I get.”

Going to Parkland will mean that Latham will be in the shadow of two major university basketball programs, the University of Illinois' in nearby Urbana and Eastern Illinois in Charleston, about an hour south of the Champaign-Urbana area; Latham chose Parkland mostly because of Figueroa. “I feel like he'll push me to be the best I can be,” Latham said, “and he's going to make it hard on me; I feel that it's going to make me the best player I can be.”

“It's exciting,” said Redbird coach Eric Smith of Latham's signing with the Cobras. “Marcus is going to get an opportunity to go up to a place where they've really done well with their kids (the Cobras won the 1986 NJCAA national championship and finished sixth in last season's NJCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship in Danville after winning the Region 24 title). They've had some success since coach Figueroa's been there; they play a tough schedule, they hold the kids accountable – the kids who play for him get better.”

“I'm very, very proud of him,” said Latham's mother, Amy Bechel. “We're hoping he does well and goes on to a bigger school.”

Going to the next level is something Smith talks about with his players. “It's what we talk about with our kids,” Smith said, “whether they choose to come back to Alton or not, which we obviously encourage, it's nice for them, at least at some point in time, to get out and see how other people do things and what it's like in different places.

“It's a bigger area, a bigger community, so there's going to be a lot of different influences, there's going to be a lot of different people he's going to get the opportunity to meet.

Smith recognizes the contributions Latham made to the Redbirds' success over the past season. “Marcus had a good year this year this year,” Smith said. “He's a quality player; he did some really good things for us, but most importantly, some of the leadership stuff he did for us this year, he kind of grew into that role and was kind of a leader.

“He was the one of the first guys off the bench cheering his teammates on when he wasn't in the game. He's been here for the four years I've been here; he came in as a freshman and he's been in almost everything that we've done. He's committed to being a better basketball player, and the nice part about it is that, through this decision, he's put himself in a position where he's going to a place that can help him.”

“I just want to get better, stronger and faster and get myself to the next level after this,” Latham said about what he hopes to accomplish with the Cobras; he plans on majoring in business management at Parkland.

Basketball Redbirds proved naysayers wrong - The Telegraph - 3/15/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

BOYS PREP BASKETBALL: Redbirds proved naysayers wrong

Birds provedthe naysayerswere wrong

First Posted: 7:00 pm - March 14th, 2016
 

By Greg Shashack - gshashack@civitasmedia.com

 

Alton's Ty'ohn Trimble, right, drives the lane against Edwardsville's AJ Epenesa Tuesday night in the semifinals of the Collinsville Class 4A Sectional at Fletcher Gym. Alton won the game 63-59. Credit: Billy Hurst - For the Telegraph
Billy Hurst | For The Telegraph
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COLLINSVILLE – Alton coach Eric Smith chuckled at a question leaving any doubt to the Redbirds’ preseason status as a noncontender in the Southwestern Conference.

Or the Redbirds’ postseason status as a noncontender.

“It’s not that I didn’t think people picked us,” Smith said, putting an emphasis on think. “Nobody did.”

Nobody outside Alton Redbirds boys basketball inner circle, perhaps.

Even last summer, when the Redbirds began the challenge of replacing seven graduated seniors from an eight-player rotation that produced a 27-5 season and sectional title berth, Smith was optimistic.

“We’re going to be pretty undersized,” he said last year. “But ever since I’ve been here, one thing we keep talking about is we have athletes. We’ve got kids that can get up and down the floor, run and jump and pressure people. The idea is that we’ll be able to continue to do those things. … We’ll give it a run.”

And the Redbirds saved their best run for the postseason. A home-court loss to Belleville West on senior night offered no hint of the surge the Redbirds were about to mount. Dramatic Alton Class 4A Regional victories over Chatham Glenwood and Quincy were decided in the final minute, with the Glenwood victory coming in the final second and the Quincy win coming by scoring the game’s final 13 points.

That set the stage for a 63-59 triumph over Edwardsville— a matchup that usually builds drama before the opening tip — in the semifinals of the Collinsville Class 4A Sectional. The season ended three days later with Friday’s 50-48 sectional title defeat to East Moline United.

Nothing short of a state championship would have saved Alton from falling short of a 20-win season. But 16-11, Smith believes, will not be history’s headline.

“Ten years from now, nobody’s going to really care a whole lot about what the record was,” Smith said after Friday’s loss. “They’re going to say, hey, do you remember when we went to Collinsville and played that game? So we’re really happy with what the kids accomplished this year. They battled and competed.

“Tonight was no different. They put a lot of time and effort in, those five seniors over the course of four years. We ask a lot of our kids and they’ve always been there, it’s never been a battle to get them to show up to work out and do the things they need to do during the summer in June when we go play. That core group of kids has always been there.”

Like last year, the Redbirds again settled on an eight-player rotation heavy on seniors. But none of those seniors – Marcus Latham, Tre Smith, Paul Harris, Jordan Golley and Kenneth Burnett – were a factor at the varsity level as a junior.

Their ability to step forward was the key in a season that ended with a 16-11 record, including a runner-up finish at 9-5 in the SWC. Through Eric Smith’s four seasons as coach, Alton is 78-40. Of the 31 coaches in 116 seasons of Redbirds boys basketball, only Lee Bennett had more wins (100) than Smith after four years.

Season No. 5 for Smith will require more contributions from players untested in varsity play. Latham played sparingly as a junior. But he broke through as a double-digits scorer and one of the league’s top 3-point threats while earning first-team All-SWC accolades as a senior.

Tre Smith came on to be a third-team All-SWC pick. Harris emerged as playmaker in the post in the second half of the season and Golley and Burnett were consistent contributors from the start.

But the leading producer for the Redbirds was an expected source in 6-foot-1 junior Maurice Edwards, a returning starter who averaged 20 points a game in the postseason.

“He’s been real engaged in what’s going on,” Smith said. “He’s made play after play for us for four games now.”

Smith, a first team All-SWC selection, joins sophomore Kevin Caldwell Jr. as starters returning next season. Junior Ty’ohn Trimble figures to step in as a starter to again give Alton one of the SWC’s most talented backcourts.

Trimble was one of the best postseason stories for the Redbirds, breaking out for 13 points to help take down SWC champ Edwardsville in the sectional. The 5-6 Trimble made 4 of 5 shots from the field and went 4-for-4 from the foul line in the final 48 seconds.

“He can do that every game, honestly,” Edwards said after that win over the Tigers. “I tell him to shoot the ball more all the time. He doesn’t shoot it, I don’t know why. I’m proud of him. That’s like my little brother, I love him so much. This is great for him.”

Trimble, who had four points against East Moline, hopes to build on that sectional performance.

“I’ve got to have more confidence on the floor,” he said. “It’s all about confidence. Mo (Edwards) gives me a lot of confidence. He always tells me to shoot. I’ve just got to start believing in myself.”

Edwards also seeks to build on his postseason that featured repeated clutch plays in the second half of all four games.

“I had to come out and lead my team because I’m the one that gets them going,” Edwards said. “Being a leader, that’s all it is. Leading my team, being confident and being positive and not worrying about all the negative stuff that’s going on.”

March brought a lovefest for the Redbirds and their fans, but it was not a season free of adversity. After a 6-1 start, Alton endured a 3-10 stretch that left them just one game over .500 at 9-8.

The Redbirds rebounded with successive victories over Belleville East, East St. Louis and Collinsville. Then came a tragic reminder of the irrelevance of victory or defeat with the death of former Redbird and 2015 Alton graduate Demonte Wigfall in an automobile crash in Northern Illinois.

“It’s just been so hard for us, all the ups and downs,” Edwards said. “We lost our brother. I feel like at the end of the year, we came together and played hard and that’s when it really matters.”

 

Greg Shashack may be reached at 618-798-1486 or on Twitter @gregshashack

Redbirds knock off Edwardsville in Sectional - STLToday - 3/8/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

Edwards again leads way as Alton upsets Edwardsville

COLLINSVILLE • The last time Alton played a basketball game against Edwardsville, Maurice Edwards felt like he had dropped the ball without even touching it.

The dynamic junior guard has been asking for the ball ever since, and most of the time he’s held onto it until he puts it through the hoop.

Edwards said he had to miss the Redbirds’ one-point loss to the Tigers on Feb. 19 in Alton because he was academically ineligible. He’s led Alton in scoring in all five games since then, with his latest performance more than making up for his absence against Edwardsville.

The Redbirds faced the Tigers again Tuesday night in a Class 4A sectional semifinal at Vergil Fletcher Gymnasium, and Edwards poured in a team-high 18 points to lead his team to a 63-59 win.

“Me missing that game, I felt I let a lot of people down. I let myself down, I let my team down, I let my fans down,” Edwards said. “I couldn’t wait for this game. I had to come out here and leave it all on the floor.”

The 6-foot Edwards, who made a game-winning buzzer-beater in Alton’s playoff opener against Chatham Glenwood, was especially good down the stretch Tuesday. He scored 14 of his points in the second half and had all eight of the Redbirds’ points spanning the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth, turning a two-point deficit into a lead his team did not relinquish.

Edwards’ heroics and acrobatics — many of his field goals were driving runners, floaters and layups — helped Alton (16-10) reach a sectional final for the second year in a row. It will face East Moline United, which beat Rock Island 55-54 in double overtime Tuesday, at 7 p.m. Friday at Collinsville. 

“When he was a freshman, we knew that he was going to be able to play,” Alton coach Eric Smith said. “But he made some shots tonight that grown men make.”

The Redbirds also got a boost from their most diminutive player. Junior guard Ty’ohn Trimble, a 5-6 junior, scored a career-high 13 points off the bench and was a spark both early and late. His 3-point goal from near halfcourt tied the game 14-14 at the end of the first quarter, and he made an over-the-shoulder putback to start the second quarter.

Trimble also helped Alton close out the win. His driving, left-handed layup gave the Redbirds their largest lead at 55-49 with 2 minutes, 5 seconds remaining, and he went 4 of 4 from the free-throw line during the final 50 seconds.

“I got a lot of confidence from that shot,” Trimble said of his first-quarter heave off the glass. “I feel like I can make any shot now.”

 
 
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Seniors Marcus Latham and Paul Harris added 16 and 10 points, respectively, for the Redbirds. The forward Harris also grabbed a team-high five rebounds.

Chrys Colley, the only senior who played for Edwardsville (25-5), scored a game- and career-high 20 points and did all he could to try to help his team go 17-0 against Southwestern Conference opponents this season. The 6-2 guard scored 17 points in the second half and 12 in the fourth quarter, but the rest of the Tigers couldn’t generate enough offense or get enough defensive stops to beat the Redbirds for the third time this season.

“It’s all about executing at the end in the game of basketball,” Colley said. “They executed more than we did in the end, and they made some good plays.”

AJ Epenesa finished with 18 points and game highs of 14 rebounds, seven assists and two blocked shots for Edwardsville, No. 2 in the STLhighschoolsports.com rankings for large schools and the fifth-ranked team in 4A in the latest Associated Press poll. And the 6-5 post player is one of four Tigers starters who are underclassmen.

Edwardsville also will return point guard Mark Smith and sharpshooter Oliver Stephen, whose 3-pointer from the corner gave the Tigers a glimmer of hope with 10 seconds left, as well as forward Caleb Strohmeier.

“This is our second year in a row losing to Alton,” said Epenesa, whose Tigers lost to the Redbirds in last year’s regional final. “So we’re going to come back ready.”

Now the Redbirds will get ready for Friday’s sectional championship game. They lost last year’s sectional final to Normal Community, which ended up placing second in the state.

A win Friday would send Alton to a Super-sectional for the first time since 2005, which would be quite an accomplishment for a team that counted Edwards as its only returning starter from last season and uses no players taller than 6-2. The Redbirds were one game over .500 at the end of January but now have won seven of their last nine games.

They’ve also matched their season high with four wins in a row, and Edwards has led the way throughout that streak.

“Nobody expected us to make it this far. Nobody expected us to win,” Edwards said. “So to keep going just means the world.”

Redbirds take out Edwardsville in Sectional - The Telegraph - 3/8/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

PREP BOYS BASKETBALL: Redbirds upset Tigers in sectional

Alton takes out Edwardsville in sectional

First Posted: 9:34 pm - March 8th, 2016
 

By Greg Shashack - gshashack@civitasmedia.com

 

Edwardsville’s AJ Epenesa (left) pivots past Alton’s Paul Harris for a basket Tuesday night in the semifinals of the Collinsville Class 4A Sectional at Fletcher Gym. Epenesa finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds, but Alton won 63-59. 
Billy Hurst / For The Telegraph
Alton’s guard Ty’ohn Trimble rides on the shoulders of teammates and fans Tuesday night after the Redbirds’ upset Edwardsville in the semifinals of the Collinsville Class 4A Sectional. Trimble came off the bench to score 13 points in the Alton win. 
Billy Hurst / For The Telegraph
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COLLINSVILLE – The Alton Redbirds cannot win the Collinsville Class 4A Sectional title until Friday night at Fletcher Gym.

But at least half the crowd of around 2,000 deemed the Redbirds’ 63-59 victory over the Edwardsville Tigers on Tuesday night worthy of a championship celebration.

“This is such a big game for us – the rivalry, the game that everybody wants to see,” Alton junior Maurice Edwards said while surrounded by AHS students that flooded the court to join their team after the game. “I’m just proud of my teammates the way they came and played.”

Alton, which lost two regular-season games to Edwardsville, improves to 16-10 and will be back here at 7 p.m. Friday to play East Moline United (23-6) for the sectional title. The Redbird are seeking their first sectional title since 2005.

Edwardsville closes its season at 25-5 after the Redbirds halted the Tigers’ 10-game winning streak. Alton knocked off No. 10 state-ranked Quincy to win a regional title on Friday and upped the stakes by taking out the No. 5 Tigers, who had won 18 of their previous 19 games.

“The hard part for us is the Alton-Edwardsville rivalry,” Alton coach Eric Smith said. “I always kind of call it circus week, whether it’s in the middle of the season or the postseason. … Our community takes a little bit of pride in these games.”

The Redbirds got clutch performances from an expected source in Edwards and an unexpected source in Ty’ohn Trimble. Edwards, plagued by four trouble in the first half, scored 14 of his team-high 18 points in the second half.

“(Edwards) is awfully good,” Edwardsville coach Mike Waldo said. “He made some very, very hard shots. Chrys Colley is a great defender and he’s been able to guard everybody we’ve played this year well. I thought Chrys Colley did a great job on (Edwards), he just found a way to get it in the basket in traffic with Chrys on him and AJ coming to get him. You’ve just got to give (Edwards) a lot of credit.”

“Maurice has grown up a little bit,” Smith said of Edwards, who was 6 of 7 from the field in the second half. “He’s always been a grown man out on the court, even when he was a freshman. But he made some shots tonight that grown men make.”

Trimble, probably closer to 5-foot-6 than the 5-9 listed in the program, came off the bench to provide sparks early and late. His banked in 3-pointer at the buzzer drew the Redbirds even at 14-14 after one quarter. He then opened the second quarter with a circus shot – back to the basket – flipped over 6-5 AJ Epenesa in the lane during 12-2 run that put Alton up 19-14.

“If Ty’ohn was 6-2, he off 10 (college) offers,” Smith said. “That’s just how we feel. He plays hard, he knows when and how to do things. … He’s had a really great year.”

Trimble was one of four Redbirds in double figures. Marcus Latham scored 14 points and Paul Harris had 10 for Alton, which shot 52 percent (26 of 50) from the field. Alton committed five turnovers to 11 for the Tigers.

“My guys played a very good game,” Waldo said. “We executed things we practiced all year. I just think Alton played excellent and they’re hard for us to defend with the things they did.”

Edwardsville, which shot 60 percent (26 of 43) from the field, got 18 points and 15 rebounds from Epenesa. And Chrys Colley, the lone senior in the Tigers’ six-man rotation, made 9 of 10 shots and led all scorers with 22 points.

The game was tied 27-27 at halftime and Edwardsville built four-point leads four times in the third quarter. But with Latham and Edwards combining to score the quarter’s final six points, Alton took a 42-40 lead to the fourth quarter.

Colley scored 12 points for the Tigers in the game’s final six minutes, but the Redbirds never relinquished the lead. Alton converted 8 of 8 free throws in the game’s final 48 seconds, with Trimble making four and Edwards and Latham following with two apiece.

ALTON 63, EDWARDSVILLE 59

Alton 14 13 15 21 — 63

Edwardsville 14 13 13 19 — 59

Alton (16-10) – Edwards 18, Caldwell Jr. 6, Latham 16, Harris 10, Trimble 13.

Edwardsville (25-5) – Epenesa 18, Strohmeier 2, Stephen 7, Colley 22, Smith 8, Green 2.

 

Greg Shashack may be reached at 618-798-1486 or on Twitter @gregshashack

Alton's Little Big Man - AdVantage News - 3/8/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

OYS' BASKETBALL: Alton’s Little Big Man

by  

COLLINSVILLE — The smallest player on the court made the biggest impact Tuesday night.

And that spelled a memorable sectional victory for the Alton Redbirds.

Meet Ty’ohn Trimble, the Birds’ Little Big Man. The 5-foot-5 junior reserve guard scored a career-best 13 points as Alton upended No. 1-seeded Edwardsville, 63-59, in a semifinal game of the Class 4A Collinsville Sectional.

“He was the difference-maker,” AHS coach Eric Smith said of the spunky, speedy Trimble. “He gave us a spark to get us over the hump.”

A crowd of 2,000 saw the Redbirds improve to 16-10 and get a date against East Moline in the 7 p.m. sectional championship game Friday. East Moline ousted Rock Island, 55-54 in double overtime at Moline in the other sectional semifinal. Edwardsville finished 25-5 and suffered its first loss to a Southwestern Conference team this season.

“I have no problem with the way our guys played,” Edwardsville coach Mike Waldo said. “We played a good game, but Alton played very well. And sometimes you get beat even when you play well.”

Trimble served as the catalyst to stir the Redbirds in a game that was tied 9 times and featured a deficit of 2 points or less on 20 occasions. The game was tied at the end of the first quarter (14-14), at half (27-27) and the Redbirds led after three quarters (42-40).

So it was that close, just like the last time when the Tigers prevailed by a single point at AHS.

This time, the Redbirds turned to Trimble as their X factor. His 4 free throws in the final minute kept the Tigers from overtaking them.

“It’s the best game I’ve ever had,” Trimble said. “It’s just exciting to beat them (Tigers) because they beat us the last two games. I was just doing my job and a game like this will give me a lot of confidence.

“I think I can do anything, even at my height.”

He’s listed at 5-9 in the program, but Trimble said he’s closer to 5-5. No matter. His heart is beyond measuring, his teammates insist.

“He was the key to the game,” said Marcus Latham, who pitched in 16 points, 11 in the second half.

Maurice Edwards, the Redbirds’ scoring leader with 18 points, added: “He’s capable of doing that. He came off the bench and played with a lot of confidence.”

Smith quipped: “If he (Trimble) was 6-2, he would have offers from a lot of colleges. He has played well for us all year.”

Alton needed some kind of inspiration because Edwards picked up his second foul midway through the first quarter and sat out nearly 9 minutes. He had 4 points at half and then erupted for 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting and 2 free throws the second half.

“Give him (Edwards) a lot of credit,” Waldo said. “He’s hard to defend. Alton made the plays and played an excellent game.”

The Birds made 25 of 47 shots, or 53 percent, and 9 of 12 free throws. They were 9-for-10 from the line in the fourth quarter and connected on 6 of 7 shots from the field in keeping the pressure on the Tigers.

Edwardsville, which trailed 55-49 with 2 minutes remaining, closed to within 57-56 on Chrys Colley’s basket with 32 seconds to go. The 6-2 senior scored a game-high 22 points, while teammate A.J. Epenesa, a 6-5 junior, contributed 18 points and 14 rebounds. Overall, the Tigers made 26 of 45 shots, or 58 percent.

Yet Alton wouldn’t relent. Trimble sank a pair of free throws with 27.8 seconds remaining to make it 59-56 and Edwards added two more foul shots with 13.5 second to go in making it 61-56.

Oliver Stephen of the Tigers connected on a trey with 9 seconds remaining to slice the Redbirds’ advantage to 61-59, but Latham’s pair of free throws 3 seconds later ensured Alton’s victory.

AHS fans poured onto the floor to mob the Redbirds, who are one win from their first sectional championship since 2005. It marks the second straight season AHS has advanced to the sectional final.

“It’s our biggest win of the year,” Latham said. “We lost to them during the regular season, but we were ready to play tonight. We knew we could win the game.”

Edwards said, “We did the little things, we had a good attitude and we stayed positive.”

Smith has seen the Redbirds rally for regional victories over Chatham Glenwood and Quincy, then put it all together for their signature win over Edwardsville. The Tigers were 16-0 this season against conference teams until Tuesday.

“This is exactly how we were playing at the start of the season,” Smith said. “Our guys have come back and battled. They’ve done what they needed to do to get to this point of the season.

“Our goal at the beginning of the season was to play in a sectional final and we’ve done that. I don’t know if anybody outside of our locker room thought we could do that.”

Paul Harris (10 points) and Kevin Caldwell Jr. (6 points) rounded out the scoring for the Redbirds, who committed only 5 turnovers and had just 10 fouls.

The Birds, riding a four-game winning streak, are basically playing in the Sweet 16. One more win propels them into the Elite Eight, or the Class 4A Normal Super-Sectional next Tuesday at Illinois State University.

“We’re staying together and believing in ourselves,” Edwards said.

CLASS 4A COLLINSVILLE SECTIONAL

(Semifinal)

ALTON 63, EDWARDSVILLE 59

Alton 14 13 15 21 — 63

Edwardsville 14 13 13 19 — 59

Alton (16-10) — Kevin Caldwell Jr. 6, Marcus Latham 16, Maurice Edwards 18, Paul Harris 10, Ty’ohn Trimble 13. 2FG-21 3FG-4 FT-9 PF-10

Edwardsville (25-5) — Mark Smith 8, A.J. Epenesa 18, Oliver Stephen 7, Chrys Colley 22, Caleb Strohmeier 2, Sammy Green 2. 2FG-22 3FG-4 FT-3 PF-15

- See more at: http://advantagenews.com/sports/boys-basketball-alton%E2%80%99s-little-big-man/#sthash.v5WWGON6.dpuf

Redbirds comeback to win Regional Crown - The Telegraph - 3/4/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

PREP BOYS BASKETBALL: Alton rallies past Quincy for regional title

Alton knocks off Quincy,faces EHS next in sectional

First Posted: 9:56 pm - March 4th, 2016 Updated: 10:20 pm - March 4th, 2016. 
 

By Louie Korac - For The Telegraph

 

Alton’s Kevin Caldwell Jr. goes around Quincy’s Parker Bland for a basket Friday night in the Class 4A Regional championship game at Alton High. 
James B. Ritter | For The Telegraph
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GODFREY — They were left for dead halfway through the fourth quarter with their season hanging in the balance. But the Alton Redbirds somehow lifted themselves from the ashes, turned sure defeat into victory and kept their season alive in dramatic fashion.

Senior Marcus Latham’s putback and three-point play with 1 minute, 24 seconds remaining gave Alton it’s second lead since the first quarter, and the third-seeded Redbirds ended the game on a 13-0 run to stun second-seeded Quincy 66-62 Friday night in the championship game of the Alton Class 4A Regional at Alton High School.

The Redbirds (15-10), who trailed most of the game, move on to the Collinsville Sectional Tuesday where they’ll play the top-seeded Edwardsville Tigers at Vergil FletcherGymnasium. The Tigers outlasted Belleville East 67-60 to win the East St. Louis Regional.

The Redbirds, who trailed by as many as 13 (53-40) late in the third quarter, were down 62-53 with 4:11 remaining in the game. That’s when it was a do-or-die effort that brought the game and the house down.

Alton got key baskets, including a crucial steal and dunk from Maurice Edwards — who led all scorers with 24 points — that cut Alton’s deficit to three at 62-59 with 2:59 remaining.

And after Kevin Caldwell Jr. missed the second of a one-and-one, Edwards kept the loose ball alive, got it to Latham, and he drove the left baseline, scored and was fouled on the play with 1:24 remaining. His free throw put the Redbirds up for good at 63-62.

“Maurice did a real good job of saving the ball,” said Latham, who finished with 12 points, six in the fourth quarter. “He got it to me and I seen an open lane and I went in and took it. It paid off.”

The Blue Devils, whose season came to stunning end at 21-6, missed a pair of chances at go-ahead baskets before Latham hit a pair of free throws with 17.3 seconds remaining.

The Blue Devils’ Mike Dade, who led Quincy with 19 points, and Jake Jobe, who had 11 points, missed on potential game-tying 3-pointers before Edwards iced the game with 1.4 seconds left by knocking down one of two free throws.

“We thought it from the beginning,” Quincy coach Andy Douglas said. “You’ve got to have your players’ confidence that they’re going to come in and win. I don’t know if that was the case at times in their careers, but it certainly was now. You have to have that mentality and that mindset. I think it showed through the first three quarters. The fourth quarter just came back to bite us a little bit.”

Said Alton coach Eric Smith: “We’ve got some special kids. We’ve been talking about it all year long how good our kids are. We’ve had some ups and downs. That was pretty special.

“It’s one of the most gratifying (wins) because we knew these kids had an opportunity to do something kind of special. They’re good players. … When it comes down to it, we think we’ve got some pretty good kids and pretty good players. We feel like we’ve got a shot any night we go out.”

Quincy built an lead early by withstanding Alton’s up-tempo style. The Blue Devils seemed to have an answer each time the Redbirds would make a push by making clutch shots. But in the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils, who were 25 of 58 for the game, made only 4 of 16 shots.

 

Reach Louie Korac at telegraphsports@hotmail.com

Redbirds rally past Quincy for Regional Crown - AdVantage News - 3/4/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

BOYS' BASKETBALL: Redbirds rally to oust Quincy in regional final, 66-62

by  

GODFREY — When it appeared the Alton Redbirds drifted into a danger zone against Quincy on Friday, they swiftly changed directions.

And they found their way by timely rediscovering their strength and spirit. All it took was a power-packed finish.

The Redbirds used a furious fourth quarter rally to overtake Quincy, 66-62, in the championship game of the Class 4A Alton Regional.

“It’s the biggest win we’ve ever had,” said senior Marcus Latham, a 12-point performer.

Junior Maurice Edwards, the game’s top scorer with 24 points, added: “It’s definitely the biggest win of the season.”

Head coach Eric Smith pointed out, “Any time you win a regional, it’s a big deal.”

Alton did it in a monumental way. The third-seeded Redbirds scored the game’s final 13 points in overturning a 62-53 Blue Devils’ advantage with 4:11 remaining. Second-seeded Quincy even led 53-40 late in the third quarter, but Alton refused to buckle.

“It’s really a good feeling because people were doubting us and we proved them wrong,” Edwards said.

Now, armed with their second consecutive regional title, the 15-10 Redbirds move on to the Collinsville Sectional. They will play Edwardsville, the East St. Louis Regional champion at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Vergil Fletcher Gym. The Tigers eliminated Belleville East, 67-60, on Friday for their regional title.

“Any time you get an opportunity to play in a sectional, it’s pretty special,” Smith said.

Thanks to their remarkable comeback, the Redbirds can keep their special season going. They outscored the visitors 23-9 in the fourth quarter to shock Quincy, which finished 21-6.

“They turned it up at the end of the game,” Blue Devils’ coach Andy Douglas said of the Redbirds. “Alton did a great job. They got inside on us and their shots went in during the fourth quarter.”

Douglas noted, “The ball also didn’t bounce our way at times. In a game like this one, you have to execute the entire game, not just bits and pieces.”

The Blue Devils found themselves clinging to a 62-57 lead with just over 3 minutes to play, but the Redbirds were far from finished. Edwards kept the ball rolling.

His steal and slam dunk cut Quincy’s lead to 62-59.

“Maurice really got the crowd hyped up with that play,” Latham said.

Teammate Kevin Caldwell Jr. pitched in a free throw with 1:30 to go and the Redbirds got to within 62-60. Then Edwards saved a ball from going out of bounds and flipped it to Latham, who converted a traditional 3-point play with 1:24 remaining, giving AHS a 63-62 edge.

Quincy didn’t know it at the time, but the Blue Devils would never regain the lead. Latham sank two more free throws with 17.8 seconds remaining and Edwards added a final one with 1.4 seconds to play and the Redbirds celebrated their 22nd regional championship in school history. No fewer than 9 of them have come since 1996.

This one proved quite satisfying, Smith said.

“It’s one of the most gratifying wins because we knew the kids had an opportunity to do something special,” he said. “We have some good players and we think we have a shot of winning every night we play.”

Edwards said the Redbirds rallied around each other in their time of need during the final four minutes

“We all stayed together, played hard and played as a team,” he said. “We fought back to win and kept our focus.

“It means the world to us to win the regional and we are glad to get another shot at Edwardsville.”

The Birds had plenty of players contribute to the cause. Caldwell punched in 11 points, 8 during in the second half. Paul Harris scored 9 points before he fouled out with 4:11 remaining. Tre Smith had 8 points.

Edwards made 9 of 14 shots, a pair of them treys, to go along with two dunks. His 15 second-half points spurred the Redbirds time and time again.

“He (Edwards) took over their game Wednesday against Chatham Glenwood,” said Douglas, pointing to Edwards’ buzzer-beating shot to win it. “I had nightmares he would take over the game against us and that’s what he did.”

While the Redbirds made 24 of 54 shots, the Blue Devils hit 25 of 58 field-goal tries. Alton outscored Quincy 13-7 at the foul line and the Redbirds made only 8 turnovers and committed just 11 fouls.

Mike Dade, a 5-9 senior guard, led Quincy with 19 points, with a dozen of them coming on 4 treys. Parker Bland (12 points), Jake Jobe (11 points) and Garrett Gadeke (10 points) also scored in double figures for the Blue Devils.

Yet they made 4 of 15 shots in the first quarter after going 21-for-43 from the field the first three quarters. So the fourth quarter — and ultimately the game — went to the Redbirds.

“I’ve been telling people we have some special kids and they showed that tonight,” Smith said. “We talked all week about being stubborn and they didn’t give in when they could have done that.”

Edwards said, “We played smart and we played our game.”

CLASS 4A ALTON REGIONAL

(Championship)

ALTON 66, QUINCY 62

Alton 17 10 16 23 — 66

Quincy 22 12 19 9 — 62

Alton (15-10) — Kevin Caldwell Jr. 11, Marcus Latham 12, Maurice Edwards 24, Tre Smith 8, Paul Harris 9, Jordan Golley 2. 2FG-19 3FG-5 FT-13 PF-11

Quincy (21-6) — Jake Jobe 11, Parker Bland 12, Garrett Gadeke 10, Mike Dade 19, Cameron Gay 5, Carson Gay 2, Deven Smith 3. 2FG-20 3FG-5 FT-7 PF-18

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Edwards sinks shot, Redbirds stay alive in Regional - Riverbender.com - 3/2/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

Edwards sinks shot at buzzer, Alton stays alive with 46-45 win over Chatham Glenwood

 
by Brent Feeney, Sports Writer
published March 3 2016 7:05 AM
updated March 3 2016 8:25 AM
 
 
9
 

 

Marcus Latham directs the point of Alton's offensive attack against Chatham Glenwood. (Photo by Brent Feeney)
Marcus Latham directs the point of Alton's offensive attack against Chatham Glenwood. (Photo by Brent Feeney)

 

 

Maurice Edwards hit a shot at the buzzer to push Alton on to victory on Wednesday night. (Photo by Brent Feeney)
Maurice Edwards hit a shot at the buzzer to push Alton on to victory on Wednesday night. (Photo by Brent Feeney)
ALTON – When it comes to the postseason – especially basketball – one saying proves to be more true than anything else.

 

It's simple:

Survive and Advance.

Alton did just that in their IHSA Class 4A Alton Regional semifinal match against Chatham GlenwoodWednesday night, despite holding a 12-9 lead at quarter time; the Titans took advantage of some Redbird miscues and built a small lead that lasted almost the rest of the way.

Operative word: almost.

That was because Maurice Edwards stepped up and made a play down the stretch – like at the buzzer, lifting a floater from the paint that went right through the basket as the buzzer sounded, giving the Redbirds a 46-45 win over the Titans that advanced them into Friday night's title contest against Quincy; that game begins at 7 p.m., with the winner taking on the Edwardsville-Belleville East winner from Friday's East St. Louis Regional final in a Collinsville Sectional semifinal clash, set for 7 p.m. Tuesday.

GODFREY — Maurice Edwards gave Alton life.

The junior guard's buzzer-beating shot Wednesday led the Redbirds past the Chatham Glenwood Titans 46-45 to propel them into the Class 4A Alton Regional finals at 7 p.m. Friday at Alton High. The Birds (14-10) will now play the Quincy Blue Devils (21-5) in the title tilt. Glenwood ends its season at 18-11.

It didn't look good for Alton on Wednesday, down 45-42 with 16.6 seconds remaining, but Edwards hit back-to-back shots in the lane to direct his Redbirds to victory. He finished with a team-high 19, matching Joel Alexander of the Titans, who also netted 19.

“Taking big shots, I'm kind of used to it, me being the type of player I am. I'm aggressive,” Edwards said. “I just wanted to make the last shot for my teammates, because it's been such an emotional year for us.”

Glenwood head coach Todd Blakeman said it was a tough task to guard Edwards with his explosiveness driving to the basket.

“He goes so hard and I thought two or three times we were right there and he's so forceful when he goes through there you've got to try and get down and stay in front and most of the night I thought we did, but he hit some tough shots,” Blakeman said.

Alton coach Eric Smith admitted it wasn't the play they had drawn up, but Edwards improvised and got it done. He has confidence in his two-year starter to do that.

“We called a play and didn't get where we were supposed to be and Maurice just made a play,” Smith said. “He's a player.

“Especially the way they play with their pack, it's impressive the way he got to the paint. Very rarely did they have more than one guy outside of the paint, so for him to be able to get paint touches and get an opportunity to get inside and give us some opportunities was good.”

The Titans looked to have control late. After AHS took a 42-41 lead on a Marcus Latham basket with 57 seconds to go, Glenwood junior Parker Allen was able to score in the paint with 30 ticks left to give his team a 43-42 advantage. Then after a missed 3-pointer by Kevin Caldwell Jr., Glenwood's Matt Bahlmann corralled the rebound, was fouled and hit both his free throws to make it 45-42 in favor of the Titans with 16.6 seconds remaining, setting up Edwards' heroics.

“We just came up short,” Blakeman said. “Parker got the floater and the other times you've got to get your stops. You've got to contest shots and rebound. You've got to continue to do the things that got you here.”

Smith was happy to see the aggression the Redbirds played with late, because he didn't think they did that early in the game. Alton seemed to settle for the 3-pointer instead of taking it to the hole and it nearly set the stage for an early exit from the postseason.

The Birds led 12-9 after one quarter, but trailed 24-22 at the break and 35-31 after three quarters.

“We kept shooting 3s and we've been down this road before and that's just not us,” Smith said. “We can make a couple, or every once in awhile, through the flow of our offense, we can get a paint touch and a drive and kick, but just coming down the floor and chucking up 22-footers is not good for us. It's a recipe for disaster. We just got lucky.”

Edwards thought the Redbirds fell into a rut of playing selfish basketball in the first half and took some of the blame himself. He thought the entire team did a better job of sharing in the offense down the stretch.

“The first half I was trying to get my jump shot going and it wasn't really falling, so I had to drive. If I wanted to help my teammates I had to go to the hole,” he said. “The first half it was just selfish. Myself and my teammates were selfish with the ball. We were all trying to do too much. In the second half we just let the game come to us and we pushed the ball. We didn't push the ball at all in the first half. In the second half we had to push the ball.”

Now the Birds will see if they can ride the emotional roller coaster of Wednesday's win into Friday against a highly talented Quincy squad. The Blue Devils put on a clinic Tuesday, walloping the Granite City Warriors 64-35 in the other regional semifinal contest.

Smith gave a simple message for how Alton will have to perform to have an opportunity to knock off Quincy and win its second consecutive regional crown.

“Play better,” Smith said. “We've got to be stubborn. They're going to ball press us, they're going to run a 1-2-2 (zone defense) and the pace of the game, they're going to try and control that. We've got to find a way to do a little bit better job of making sure that we get touches inside the paint. Attack them in the paint, that's what we've got to do.”

CLASS 4A ALTON REGIONAL

(semifinals)

Titans 9 15 11 10 — 45

Redbirds 12 10 9 15 — 46

Alton (14-10) — Paul Harris 4, Marcus Latham 7, Tre Smith 4, Kevin Caldwell Jr. 8, Maurice Edwards 19, Ty'ohn Trimble 4. 2FG — 14 3FG — 3 FT — 9 PF — 9.

Glenwood (18-11) — Matt Bahlmann 7, Joel Alexander 19, Ethan Hunt 5, Parker Allen 8, Will Hanlon 6. 2FG — 14 3FG — 4 FT — 5 PF — 10.

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Alton tops Glenwood on Edwards buzzer beater - The Telegraph - 3/2/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

ALTON 4A REGIONAL: Alton tops Glenwood 46-45 on Edwards’ buzzer-beater

Edwards hits game winner against Glenwood

First Posted: 9:34 pm - March 2nd, 2016 Updated: 10:17 pm - March 2nd, 2016. 
 

By Pete Hayes - phayes@civitasmedia.com

 

Alton’s Tre Smith goes up against Glenwood’s Parker Allen, back, and Jabores Smith, front left, Wednesday. Smith was fouled by Parker and made both free throws. 
James B. Ritter | For The Telegraph
Alton’s Maurice Edwards hits a jumper Wednesday night against Chatham Glenwood during the Class 4A Boys Regional semifinals Wednesday night at Alton High. Edwards later hit a basket at the buzzer to lift Alton to a 46-45 victory. 
James B. Ritter | For The Telegraph
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GODFREY — It’s doubtful anyone was surprised Alton’s Maurice Edwards took the last shot in Wednesday night’s Class 4A Regional semifinal against Chatham Glenwood. And when Edwards made the 10-foot pull up jumper from the left baseline at the buzzer to lift Alton to a 46-45 semifinal victory, few were shocked.

Just like head coach Eric Smith drew it up, right?

Not quite.

“It really wasn’t how it was drawn up,” Smith said. “But (Edwards) had to improvise.”

The Redbirds trailed Glenwood 45-42 after the Titans’ Matt Bahlman made both ends of a one-and-one with 16.6 seconds remaining in the game.

After a timeout, Alton came down the floor and instead of going for a trey that would have tied the game, Edwards drove the lane and scored untouched, bringing the Redbirds with 45-44 with 9.1 seconds left.

“I think 90 percent of the coaches you’d talk to would do it that way,” Smith said of going for the two pointer rather than the trey. “There was plenty of time left.”

Bahlman was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play with no time elapsing. He missed the front end of the one-and-one and Edwards got the rebound, setting up his buzzer-beating heroics.

“The play broke down. The screen wasn’t set up,” Edwards said of Alton’s final possession, “so I had to make something out of nothing.”

The victory for the Redbirds (14-10) means a 7 p.m. championship game berth Friday against Quincy. At stake will be a semifinal berth in the Collinsville Sectional Tournament.

So what’s the secret for the Redbirds against Quincy. Smith summed it up succinctly.

“Play better,” he said. “We’ve got to be stubborn.

“This has been an emotional season,” said Edwards, who finished with 19 points. “But I’m an aggressive type of player and I’ve taken the big shots before.”

The Titans felt they had defended Edwards good enough on the final shot.

“I thought we played good defense on him,” Glenwood coach Todd Blakeman said. “We got a hand in his face. I didn’t think it was in, but it was.

“I thought we even played better defensively in the second half.”

The final buzzer sounded as the ball drained through the basket.

“(Edwards) is that type of player,” Smith said. “The way (Glenwood) plays, I was impressed the way he got to the paint.”

Glenwood, which finished 18-11, led most of the way since early in the second quarter when they took a 17-14 lead on a trey by Will Hanlon with 5:39 remaining in the first half. They increased their lead to as many as six points but couldn’t shake the Redbirds, who climbed within 24-22 at halftime.

The teams traded baskets, with the Titans holding a lead ranging from two to six points and the Redbirds never quite getting over the hump.

That is, until a minute remained in the game. That’s when Marcus Latham a jumper that put Alton ahead 42-41.

Glenwood’s Parker Allen put the Titans back in front 43-42 with a shot from the lane with 29 seconds remaining.

When Kevin Caldwell’s trey with 16.6 seconds remaining was off target, Bahlman grabbed the rebound for Glenwood and was fouled by Alton’s Ty’ohn Trimble. Bahlman banked in both free throws, making it 45-42, setting up the wild finish.

Glenwood’s Joel Alexander tied Edwards for high-scorer with 19 points. Each was the only player on their team to score in double figures. Caldwell scored eight for Alton and the Titans’ Allen also scored eight.

Alton settled in after a rough start.

“We were frustrated,” Smith said. “We took way to many threes. But down the stretch, we got better. That’s been our style.

“There was to much one-on-one but we settled down and that was the recipe for success. There were too many guys trying to be a hero.”

As it turned out, Edwards was the one to fill that need.

 

Reach Pete Hayes at 463-2500 or Twitter @HayeserPete

Redbird Boys Basketball rolls by Kahoks - The Telegraph - 2/12/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

PREP BOYS BASKETBALL: Latham hits for 33, Redbirds roll past Kahoks, 71-51

First Posted: 9:40 pm - February 12th, 2016
 

By Greg Shashack - gshashack@civitasmedia.com

 

Marcus Latham 
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COLLINSVILLE – A 13-point outing in Tuesday’s victory over East St. Louis did little to inspire Marcus Latham.

“Last game, I was kind of in a slump,” he said.

That slump was ended Friday night at Fletcher Gym, where Latham went off for 33 points to lead the Alton Redbirds to a 71-51 Southwestern Conference boys basketball victory over the Collinsville Kahoks.

“I was shooting a lot at practice (Thursday) and came out tonight in warmups and was hitting,” Latham said. “It carried over into the game.”

The 6-foot-1 senior made 10 of 16 shots from the field and 6 of 6 free throws. He knocked down four 3-pointers in the first half and finished 7 of 13 from the arc against the Kahoks zone.

“He didn’t force a whole lot of stuff,” Alton coach Eric Smith said of Latham. “He didn’t try to put it on the floor and do too much. It was just teammates creating stuff for him – drive, kick, catch and shoot. It’s a pretty easy game when you do it that way.”

The victory was the Redbirds’ eighth straight over Collinsville. The Redbirds improve to 12-8 and 8-3 in the SWC, but were unable to close ground on front-runningEdwardsville in the conference race. The Tigers beat Granite City 54-47 to move to 19-4 and 10-0 in the league.

The Redbirds staggered the Kahoks immediately with Latham hitting two 3’s and scoring eight points to help put Alton up 12-0 three minutes in while Collinsville misfired on its first nine shots.

“It’s been a long time through this season since we’ve come out and just hit somebody in the face,” Smith said. “That was nice to see.”

Alton led 25-12 after one quarter before the Kahoks closed within 36-28 at halftime. A Tommy Maden 3-pointer cut the Redbirds’ lead to 38-31 early in the third quarter, but Alton responded with a 13-2 run regain command.

Maden, who made 6 of 17 shots including 5 of 10 from the arc, scored 17 points to lead the Kahoks, who drop to 9-15 and 1-9 in the SWC. Collinsville shot 40 percent (20 of 50) from the field. The Kahoks made 9 of 25 3-pointers and 2 of 7 free throws.

Maurice Edwards scored 14 points for Alton, including a thunderous dunk on a fourth-quarter drive through traffic in the lane. Ty’ohn Trimble came off the bench to hit a pair of first-quarter 3-pointers and finished with nine points.

Alton shot 41 percent (23 of 56) from the field, including 10 of 24 from 3-point range, and 15 of 22 from the foul line.

“Our kids have adapted pretty well to a lot of different things, people have tried to defend us differently, and it’s nice to see us progress and be able to play different ways to win a game.” Smith said. “Defensively, we did some things better. Offensively, we were still kind of stagnant at certain points. … For the most part, our kids played pretty well.”

ALTON 71, COLLINSVILLE 51

Alton 25 11 17 18 — 71

Collinsville 12 16 7 16 — 51

Alton (12-8, 8-3) – Edwards 14, Golley 2, Smith 4, Latham 33, Harris 6, Burnett 2, Trimble 9, Bumpers 1. FG-23 3FG-10 FT-15.

Collinsville (9-15, 1-9) – Flora 4, Maden 17, Knight 5, Midgett 7, Hall 1, Willams 3, Johnson 6, Lemp 8. FG-20 3FG-9 FT-2.

 

Greg Shashack may be reached at 618-798-1486 or on Twitter @gregshashack

Redbirds soar past Kahoks - AdVantage News - 2/12/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

BOYS' BASKETBALL: Redbirds soar past Kahoks

by  

COLLINSVILLE — The Alton Redbirds started early and never let up Friday in Collinsville, soaring past the Southwestern Conference rival Kahoks 71-51.

AHS buried 10 treys in the game, played stout defense and rebounded well, improving to 12-8 overall and 8-3 in the SWC with the win. Collinsville dipped to 9-15 and 1-9 on the league slate with the loss.

Alton raced out to a 12-0 lead to start the game. Marcus Latham knocked down 8 of his game-high 33 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, in the opening spurt.

“Things are a lot different when you come out and knock down shots,” AHS head coach Eric Smith said. “We've had nights where we've played similar to this but didn't make shots and it was a dogfight and a battle and things were a little different. This was good, the kids played hard. The energy level, the effort, it was all there and I thought for the most part they were fairly patient with some things. All-in-all it was a good night for us.”

It was an especially good night for Latham. He hit seven 3-pointers on the night and shot 6 of 6 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter to spur his offensive night.

“Yesterday I shot a lot at practice and a couple of them fell and a couple of them didn't, but I think I just got a feel for the rim (tonight),” Latham said. “I shot a lot of warmups and they were falling and I just carried it over to the game.

“Maurice (Edwards) is real good at getting in gaps and he was real good at finding me tonight and that's what I got most of my 3s off of, driving kicks from Maurice. They weren't closing out, so my shots were falling.”

Smith said the 33 points wasn't what made Latham's night a success though. It were the other facets of the game where he flourished that made him the total package.

“Points don't have anything with how well he played,” Smith said. “He did other things in this game. He rebounded very well at the beginning of the game. I'll go back and look at the film, but first impression, this was probably one of the better defensive games he's played in a while and that's why he had a good game. Anybody can score, but we need all three phases from him and he did that tonight.”

Alton kept rolling after the opening scoring spree, too. Latham knocked down a third trey and Ty'ohn Trimble sank a pair of 3s to boot and when the buzzer sounded on the first quarter the Birds were ahead 25-12.

Collinsville head coach Darin Lee said with the Redbirds hitting shots the way they did it made it tough.

“We just didn't do things well enough overall to get the job done,” Lee said. “They're a hard team to cover and (Latham) made some shots. We probably should have found him a little earlier.”

The Kahoks chipped away in the second quarter. They cut it to a nine-point deficit at 31-22 when Zach Flora hit a shot with 2:51 to go in the half. Collinsville dwindled it to 36-28 entering the break.

Latham said it was a lack of effort on the boards that allowed the Kahoks to mount their comeback. Alton discussed the lax effort in the locker room and looked to fix it in the second half.

“When they went on their run we weren't rebounding so when we went in at halftime coach really emphasized us really getting the ball out and running, because they can't run with us,” Latham said. “When we weren't rebounding, one possession they got like five shots off. It was really just us rebounding and getting out running.”

The Birds came out rejuvenated in the third quarter. Latham hit a trio of treys and they constructed runs of 8-0 and 7-0, getting out and running the floor and outscoring Collinsville 17-7 in the frame to build a 53-35 advantage entering the fourth quarter.

“We struggled to score in the third quarter and that really hurt us the most,” Lee said. “That was after we cut it to eight.

“They can disrupt your offense. It's hard to run some of your sets and there's some quickness out there.”

It was the third straight win for the Redbirds and they have eclipsed the 70-point mark in each of those victories, but for Smith the impressive part of Friday's contest was the defense. When Alton is playing pressure defense and rebounding Smith believes the team is at its best.

“Yeah, we did a lot of things really well tonight I thought,” Smith said.

Maurice Edwards joined Latham in double figures, netting 14 points, while Trimble chipped in with 9 also.

Collinsville was led by Tommy Maden with 17 points. Maden knocked down five 3-pointers during his offensive effort.

AHS is now idle until 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 19 when it plays host to SWC-leading Edwardsville. The Tigers topped the Granite City Warriors 54-47 on Friday to improve to 19-4 and 10-0 on the league slate. The Redbirds are perched in second in the SWC, three games behind EHS.

SOUTHWESTERN CONFERENCE

ALTON 71, COLLINSVILLE 51

Redbirds 25 11 17 18 — 71

Kahoks 12 16 7 16 — 51

Alton (12-8, 8-3) — Marcus Latham 33, Jordan Golley 2, Tre Smith 4, Maurice Edwards 14, Paul Harris 6, Ty'ohn Trimble 9, Kenneth Burnett 2, Jonathan Bumpers 1. 2FG — 13 3FG — 10 FT — 15 PF — 15.

Collinsville (9-15, 1-9) — Tommy Maden 17, Zach Flora 4, Austin Knight 5, Ronnie Midgett 7, Jake Hall 1, Laron Johnson 6, Braeden Lemp 8, Jaaron Williams 3. 2FG — 11 3FG — 9 FT — 2 PF — 16.

- See more at: http://advantagenews.com/sports/boys-basketball-redbirds-soar-past-kahoks/#sthash.RjVjab1F.dpuf

Alton charges back to edge East Side - AdVantage News - 2/9/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

BOYS' BASKETBALL: Alton charges back to edge East Side

by  

GODFREY — The Alton Redbirds kept their Southwestern Conference dreams alive on Tuesday.

It took the Redbirds awhile to find their stride at AHS against the East St. Louis Flyers, but once they did they were able to pull out a much needed 79-74 win.

With the victory, the Birds improved to 11-8 overall and 7-3 in the SWC. The loss sank the Flyers to 9-12 and 5-5 in league action.

The Redbirds are perched in second place in the conference, looking up at league leader Edwardsville, which is 9-0. Alton has four games remaining in the SWC and three games to make up.

AHS head coach Eric Smith just wants his squad to show some consistency down the stretch and in the postseason. After starting 7-2, the Birds are 4-6 over their last 10 games.

“We just need to play better,” Smith said. “We started out the season like gangbusters. We hit a little bit of a lull. The win against (Belleville) East (on Friday) was a good win. This was a good win.”

Five Redbirds reached double figures in Tuesday's victory, led by junior Maurice Edwards' 26 points. Edwards netted 15 of his points in the second half, including 10 in the fourth quarter when it counted most. He put the exclamation point on the game with a dunk at the buzzer.

“Big props to Edwards, he's a strong ball handler,” East St. Louis assistant coach Curtis Burton said. Burton coached the Flyers Tuesday in the absence of head coach Phillip Gilbert, who was at the hospital for the birth of his child. “We've just got to do a better job of helping our guards out and containing that defense.”

East Side led for the majority of the game. Alton grabbed its first lead of the game, 31-29, on a bucket by Tre Smith at the 3:23 mark of the second quarter. Smith had a chance to complete a 3-point play but missed the free throw.

The lead was short lived though, as the Flyers tied it just 12 seconds later on a basket by Kenny Roberson and carried a 43-38 lead into the locker room. They had led 19-13 at the end of the first quarter.

A field goal from Ty'ohn Trimble handed AHS a 55-54 lead with 1:57 to go in the third quarter, but Kerion Chairs scored with a minute to go in the stanza to put East Side ahead 56-55. That's the way it remained as the buzzer sounded on the third quarter.

But the fourth quarter belonged to the Redbirds. Both teams jockeyed for position early, but a 3-pointer from Marcus Latham with 3:42 to play put Alton in front 69-66 and it never trailed again.

Alton began to hit the offensive boards late, which helped their cause. Kevin Caldwell Jr. pulled down a couple of big offensive rebounds to set up scores for the Birds.

Rebounding was an emphasis of the Alton coaching staff entering the game, it just took awhile to sink in.

“That's been the emphasis the whole time and the first three trips down the floor I think we gave up three offensive rebounds,” Smith said. “We talked about it in the locker room before, we talked about it at halftime, but when it was time to get it done the kids did it.”

Burton just thought it came down to who wanted it more and the rebounding effort by the Redbirds pushed them over the top.

“When it comes to that it's all heart,” Burton said. “Rebounding is all heart and you've got to block out and fight for it and a few times they wanted it more than us. Our guys are undersized and a lot of our small guards were down there banging and giving a great effort. I'm not mad at the guys, they played hard. It was a good game, better than the first one we played Alton.”

Alton defeated the Flyers 65-62 on Dec. 4 at East Side, so Tuesday completed the season sweep. It marked the first time the Redbirds had swept East St. Louis in a season since 2006.

Smith just hopes the Birds can discover some consistency down the stretch. They've shown flashes throughout the season and there's still time for them to find their focus.

“We've got a good basketball team,” Smith said. “We really, truly do. We haven't been as consistent as we would like, but we've got a good basketball team. Our kids are resilient and they'll find a way.

“It's a long season and we've got to get them to where they're playing for each other. And being unselfish doesn't necessarily have anything to do with passing the ball to an open guy, it has to do with are you going to do the job when you're out on the floor. Are you going to get to the right spots, are you going to box out, are you going to be happy if we take you out of the game and put somebody else in at a certain point in time. Are you going to be happy if we ask you to do something besides scoring 16 points and you only get four points. Those are some of the things we struggle with, but the last couple games we've hopefully turned the corner a little bit.”

Next up for Alton is a 7:30 p.m. SWC game Friday at Collinsville.

SOUTHWESTERN CONFERENCE

ALTON 79, EAST ST. LOUIS 74

Flyers 19 24 13 18 — 74

Redbirds 13 25 17 24 — 79

Alton (11-8, 7-3) — Marcus Latham 13, Tre Smith 10, Kevin Caldwell Jr. 15, Maurice Edwards 26, Paul Harris 11, Kenny Burnett 2, Ty'ohn Trimble 2. 2FG — 25 3FG — 5 FT — 14 PF — 13.

East St. Louis (9-12, 5-5) — Kerion Chairs 9, Marquise Chairs 15, Kenny Roberson 13, Arthur Carter 12, Terrence Hargrove 2, Patrick Baxter 13, Karon Randolph 8, Jermaine Grissom 2. 2FG — 29 3FG — 2 FT — 10 PF — 19.

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Redbirds Boys Basketball finds a way to beat Flyers - The Telegraph - 2/9/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

PREP BOYS BASKETBALL: Redbirds ‘find a way’ to beat Flyers

Alton gets first SWC sweep of Flyers since 2006

First Posted: 10:11 pm - February 9th, 2016
 

By Greg Shashack - gshashack@civitasmedia.com

 

Alton’s Maurice Edwards(left) pushes past East St. Louis’ Kerion Chairs, who looks to avoid the foul as Edwards races upcourt on a Redbirds’ fast break Friday night at Alton High in Godfrey. Edwards scored 26 points in Alton’s SouthwesternConference victory. 
James B. Ritter / For The Telegraph
Alton’s Paul Harris turns as he looks to shoot, but draws a charging call against East St. Louis’ Kerion Chairs on Tuesday night at Alton High. 
James B. Ritter / For The Telegraph
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GODFREY – The Alton Redbirds had not pulled off a Southwestern Conference boys basketball sweep of the East St. Louis Flyers since 2006.

The Redbirds snapped that string at nine seasons in a row on Tuesday night.

Maurice Edwards scored 26 points, including an exclamation-point dunk at the final buzzer, to lead Alton to a 79-74 victory over the Flyers at Alton High.

Alton, which had lost eight of its previous nine matchups with the Flyers before winning this season’s home-and-away, improves to 11-8 and 7-3 in the SWC. East Side is 9-12 and 5-5 in the league.

“We’ve got a good basketball team,” Alton coach Eric Smith said. “We really, truly do. We haven’t necessarily been as consistent as we’d like, but we’ve got a good basketball team. Our kids are resilient and they find a way.”

The Redbirds are alone in second place in the SWC, though Edwardsville – at 9-0 in the league – has drawn off from the pack. But for an Alton team that had lost six of nine games after a 7-2 start, the focus is mounting momentum for February’s stretch run over the conference race.

“We just need to play better,” said Smith, whose team was coming off a road win at Belleville East on Friday. “We started out the season like gangbusters. We hit a little bit of a lull. The win against East was a good win. This was a good win.”

In a high-possession game that saw neither the Flyers nor Redbirds willing to relent, 10 players scored in double figures.

Edwards had 17 of his game-high 26 points in the second half. Kevin Caldwell Jr. scored 15 points, Marcus Latham had 13, Paul Harris had 11 and Tre Smith had 10, including eight in the second half.

The Flyers led most of the game before Alton seized control in the fourth quarter. Edwards’ three-point play with 4:53 left drew Alton even at 64-64. East Side would not lead again.

The Redbirds led by as many as six points (74-68) and held off the Flyers despite making 4 of 10 free throws in the final two minutes. Alton erased a 13-point third-quarter deficit in its 65-62 win Dec. 4 in East St. Louis.

East Side was without head coach Phillip Gilbert, who missed Tuesday’s game for the birth of his child. Marquise Chairs scored 15 points to lead the Flyers, who got 13 each from Kenny Roberson and Patrick Baxter, 12 from Arthur Carter and 10 from Kerion Chairs.

The Flyers started quickly, with first-quarter leads of 8-2 and 17-11 before taking that six-point (19-13) lead to the second quarter. East Side led by as many as seven points (23-16) before Alton rallied with a 10-2 that included a 3-pointer from Caldwell, a basket from Edwards, a three-point play from Latham and a Smith bucket that put the Redbirds up 31-29 with 3:23 left in the first half.

The Flyers got back-to-back three-point plays from Carter and Baxter to up 39-33 before taking a 43-38 edge to halftim

Boys Basketball Redbirds edge Belleville East on Road - AdVantage News - 2/5/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

BOYS' BASKETBALL: Redbirds edge Belleville East on the road

by  

BELLEVILLE – As their season comes down to its final three weeks, the Alton Redbirds are setting their sights on winning a Southwestern Conference championship.

“That’s what we’re playing for,” Alton coach Eric Smith said. “That’s what you stress from day one, and that’s give yourselves an opportunity at the end of the season to hopefully play a game that would give us an opportunity to win conference.”

The Redbirds moved into sole possession of second place in the league standings at 6-3 after pulling off a 72-69 win over the Belleville East Lancers on Friday on the road. Alton snapped a two-game conference losing streak and avenged the 75-73 loss to Belleville East on Jan. 5 at Alton High.

“It’s a conference game,” Smith said. “It’s always going to be tight and close and teams aren’t going to lay down. They’ve got a nice team that is in the top half of the conference and they play hard. So we expected a battle.”

The Redbirds also improved to 10-8 overall and snapped a two-game losing streak.

“Obviously winning games are extremely important for us,” Smith said. “I thought the kids responded pretty well after the two games we played last week (against Granite City and Galesburg). They were two pretty good teams, so to be able to come back and understand that it was going to be a tough conference game on the road, it’s a credit to our kids.”

In order to win the conference title, the Redbirds must win their last five conference games and hope first-place Edwardsville stumbles down the stretch. The Tigers improved to 9-0 with a win over East St. Louis on Friday.

Alton plays East St. Louis at home on Feb. 9. The Redbirds also have Collinsville, Edwardsville, Belleville West and O’Fallon left in their regular season schedule.

“We need to keep playing hard,” Alton senior Paul Harris said. “Everybody’s got to buy in. It’s a team effort from starters to the bench. Coach always told us to buy in. When we buy in, we seem to do better.”

Out of Alton’s six conference wins, four of them came on the road, including Friday’s win over Belleville East.

The Redbirds, who finished second in the SWC in each of the last two seasons, won their first four conference games before Belleville East handed them their first loss a month ago. Alton also lost league games to Edwardsville and Granite City.

“We let a couple of games slip away, so that kind of hurt our chances (to win the SWC title) a little bit,” Smith said. “But we’ll continue to compete and see if we can get an opportunity at the end of the year to play that last game that would mean something in conference.”

Belleville East dropped to 14-9 overall and 5-5 in conference play. The Lancers lost five of their last six games after winning seven games in a row, including the victory over Alton last month.

The Redbirds had three players in double figures. Senior Marcus Latham scored 24 points, Harris finished with 18 – including 10 in the first half – and junior Ty’ohn Trimble had 11.

“We’ve got a little bit more production from some guys in this game than we did in the last game,” Smith said.

Alton led 33-31 at halftime. Trailing 47-42 midway in the third quarter, Alton came back with a 10-2 run to take a 52-49 lead and never looked back.

Latham broke the 49-49 tie by scoring on a conventional 3-point play with 31 seconds left in the third.

“That’s kind of what Marcus does for us,” Smith said. “He has the ability to score for us in different ways. It was a play that we needed and he had the confidence to try to make a play to help us win the game.”

With Alton leading 72-69, Belleville East had a chance to tie the game as time expired. But Enrico Sylvester’s 3-point shot bounced off the rim.

“We had to scrap at the end, but we came out on top, so that’s all that matters,” Harris said.

The Lancers had four players in double figures. They were led by Malachi Smith with 18 points, including 11 in the second half.

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Redbird Boys Basketball Rally vs. Granite City falls short - The Telegraph - 1/29/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

PREP BOYS BASKETBALL: Alton rally falls short against Granite City

PREP BOYS BASKETBALL: GRANITE CITY 72, ALTON 69

First Posted: 10:10 pm - January 29th, 2016 Updated: 11:21 pm - January 29th, 2016. 
 

By Pete Hayes - phayes@civitasmedia.com

 

Alton Redbirds head coach Eric Smith watches his team during Friday night’s Southwestern Conference basketball game against the Granite City Warriors. 
Billy Hurst | For The Telegraph
Alton Redbirds guard Maurice Edwards (25) drives towards the basket as he is defended by Granite City’s Kenny Berry (10) during Friday night’s Southwestern Conference basketball game played at Alton. 
Billy Hurst | For The Telegraph
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GODFREY — It was a game that appeared out of reach, then was suddenly there for the taking.

Alton fell behind Granite City early Friday night, but when the waning moments came, the Redbirds had clawed their way back to within striking distance. Granite City survived, however, and claimed a 72-69 Southwestern Conference victory in front of a large and noisy crowd at AHS.

With standout Maurice Edwards on the bench, having fouled out in the third quarter, Marcus Latham assumed the mantle for the Redbirds. He and his teammates trailed 51-35 heading into the fourth quarter, but put together a rally that saw them get within a point at 70-69 with 9.2 seconds remaining.

But Granite City’s Kenny Berry hit a pair of free throws with 8.9 seconds left to make it 72-69 and the Warriors sweated out a hectic last few seconds.

After Berry’s free throws, Alton had one last gasp. Tre Smith missed the first of two free throws with 0.1 second left. He then intentionally missed the second free throw, but while Alton got the rebound, there wasn’t enough time remaining to get off a shot.

The loss drops Alton to 9-7 overall and 5-3 in the Southwestern Conference,Granite City is 10-10 and 4-5. The Warriors’ victory made amends for their 65-59 loss to the redbirds earlier in the season in Granite City. Following a trip to Galesburg Saturday, the Redbirds will get back into SWC action Feb. 5 at Belleville East.

“We came out flat and (Granite City) wasn’t,” Alton coach Eric smith said. “Their 1-3-1 did a good job of slowing us down early and created some indecision on what we wanted to do.

“We just didn’t look prepared.”

The Redbirds had gotten within 70-69 when Latham nailed a trey, while falling back and surrounded by a pair of Granite City defenders. Latham pleaded for a foul on the shot, but none was called.

Latham led the Redbirds with 25 points and Ty’ohn Trimble added 11.

“Offensively, (Latham) did a good job in the second half,” Smith said. “He came alive on offense.”

The Warriors were led by Berry, who scored 25 and Allen, who scored 23 points.

Alton, after trailing by double digits in the first half, rallied early in the third, but lost Maurice Edwards when he fouled out with 3:34 remaining in the period.

“Maurice is a talented player and can do a lot for us,” Smith said. “But I’m not sure him fouling out was much of a deal breaker. The same guys were on the floor after he fouled out and we made a run at them”

There were 60 fouls called in the game. The Redbirds’s Kevin Caldwell Jr. also fouled out, as did Granite City’s Allen. “And I think just about everybody else had four fouls on them when the game ended,” Smith said.

Edwards had scored back-to-back baskets to start the second half and draw Alton within 32-18. A pair of free throws by Tre Smith and one by Marcus Latham made it 32-22. The Redbirds managed to climb within nine points on a free throw by Kevin Caldwell, then got within six points when Latham scored a basket with 4:1 remaining in the period.

But the Warriors regained their footing and stretched the lead back to 47-31 he

The Redbirds managed just six points in the first quarter and just eight in the second. Granite City wasn’t setting the court ablaze, either, at least in the first quarter, when the Warriors outscored Alton 14-6.

Berry did get things started quickly for the Warriors. He hit three consecutive shots, including a pair of treys, to give Granite City an 8-1 lead. Berry scored 10 points in the quarter. Teammate Ron Allen’s putback made it 10-1 midway through the quarter.

And while the Warriors managed just two more baskets the rest of the quarter, Alton managed a pair of inside baskets and a free throw.

The Warriors cooled off early in the second quarter and led just 20-10 midway through. But they outscored the Redbirds 10-4 the rest of the quarter.

Berry, whose hot shooting staked Granite City to its early lead, scored six points in the second quarter, but all three were on free throws. The Warriors led 30-14 at halftime.

Redbird Boys Basketball knocks off St. Mary's - AdVantage News - 1/23/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

BOYS' BASKETBALL: Redbirds edge St. Mary's in shootout

by  

ST. LOUIS — Maurice Edwards was feeling it Saturday in the Cardinal Ritter Classic and it left the Alton Redbirds feeling good after a 61-60 win over St. Mary's.

Edwards hit a clutch jumper with 8 seconds to go in the game to put the finishing touches on a 24-point performance. Paul Harris then defended the last ditch effort in the paint by the Dragons, yanking down the rebound with 0.9 seconds remaining to secure the win.

AHS improved to 9-6 with the victory, while St. Mary's slipped to 11-7.

“I think the biggest key was Ty'ohn (Trimble), Kenny (Burnett) and Paul (Harris) all came in and sparked us and gave us some good minutes,” Alton head coach Eric Smith said. “Really in that second quarter that got us back in the game. We kind of limited some of the things they were trying to do and we played hard.”

Edwards was solid throughout the game, knocking down four treys and dispersing his points between all four quarters. He had 11 at the break.

He was feeling confident and when he found the ball in his hands with the Redbirds trailing 60-59 in the waning seconds, he knew what he had to do.

“I had a feeling I was going to take it, because my teammates, I think they all wanted me to take it,” he said. “I had been hitting all night and it was just the way I'd been playing all night.

“I was feeling it all game. I just wanted to play aggressive and lead my team to the win.”

Harris, who has been a nice boost for the Birds off the bench with a paint presence, said he knew what his job was in those final seconds and his goal was just to defend and corral the basketball.

“I had confidence in Maurice's shot,” Harris said. “We wanted Maurice to take the shot and then when coach called timeout he said they were going to try to come to the hole. He put me up front and I let him get past me a little bit, but once I got to the hole I got a little tip on the shot and I just grabbed it and I knew they were going to foul me anyway.”

It came down to a series of runs. The Redbirds started cold in the first and third quarters, but made their presence felt in the second and fourth quarters when it counted most.

They closed the first half on an 11-2 spree to send them into the break up 32-25, but then allowed the Dragons to compile runs of 9-0 and 15-3 to leap ahead 51-40 with 7:47 to play in the game. Alton then went on a 7-0 spurt to dwindle it to 51-47 and chipped away until Edwards hit the game-winner.

“I always tell my team, basketball is a game of spurts,” St. Mary's head coach Kevin Lee said. “They go on a run, then we're going to go on a run, but they just had the last run. I told my guys this was a big game for us because that's a good large school team and we're small. Nobody was probably picking us to win, but I was happy with my guys. I can't be mad at them. We would have loved to win, but this game is going to help us down the road.”

St. Mary's charged out to an 8-1 advantage to start the game and later went up 19-12 before Marcus Latham got a steal and a slam to slice it to 19-14 in favor of the Dragons at the close of the first quarter.

Smith said it's just a matter of the Redbirds finding their focus. They have lapses sometimes in games and at the beginning of the first and third he thought that's what happened.

“We talked about it in the locker room coming out, we've had a lot of stretches where we've done a really nice job in a quarter and got ourselves back into a game, or given ourselves a nice comfortable lead and then for whatever reason we lose focus and make some not very good plays,” Smith said. “It's been feast or famine.”

It was feast in the second quarter for Alton. Trailing 23-21 with 4:19 to play in the half, the Birds soared on an 11-2 run before entering the locker room. Harris started it with a bucket in the paint and then Kevin Caldwell Jr. drained a 3-pointer as he was falling to the floor with 2.2 seconds to go to cap it. He was fouled on the play, but failed to hit the free throw. Alton led 32-25 at the break.

St. Mary's erupted on a 9-0 run to start the second half. Traditional 3-point plays from Tony Burkes and Yahuza Rases highlighted the spurt. The Dragons shot ahead 34-32.

Edwards hit a field goal and trey to put AHS back on top 37-36 with 2:35 left in the third, but then St. Mary's enjoyed a 13-2 spree to construct a 49-39 lead. Harris hit a free throw as the quarter closed to cut make the deficit 49-40 heading into the fourth.

St. Mary's extended the lead to 51-40 to open the final frame, but a 7-0 spurt by the Redbirds whittled it to 51-47. Edwards started that spurt with a 3-pointer.

Lee admitted that Edwards was tough to contain.

“He's a heck of a player,” Lee said. “I watched him on film and he can play, but I knew that coming in. I thought my guys did a good job for the most part, but he just made plays.

“He's just so quick and he's deceptive and has all that shake and bake stuff. He knows how to play, but we just have to have team defense and it hasn't been there lately.”

The Dragons continued to lead though until a 6-0 run by Alton closed it out. Caldwell hit a 3-pointer, Harris it the front end of two free throws and then Edwards hit the big shot to win it.

Edwards thinks the win will give the Redbirds the focus they need to make a nice run through the second half of the Southwestern Conference.

“I think we're ready,” he said.

Harris added, “This can boost us a little bit, because we've been losing a little bit more than we should. I think we should be alright now with confidence. We've got a rough stretch coming up, but we should do OK.”

CARDINAL RITTER CLASSIC

ALTON 61, ST. MARY'S 60

Dragons 19 6 14 11 — 60

Redbirds 14 18 8 21 — 61

Alton (9-6) — Marcus Latham 8, Jordan Golley 1, Tre Smith 5, Kevin Caldwell Jr. 9, Maurice Edwards 24, Paul Harris 9, Ty'ohn Trimble 5. 2FG — 16 3FG — 8 FT — 5 PF — 16

St. Mary's (11-7) — Tony Burkes 13, Yuri Collins 11, Zach Ortinau 3, Yahuza Rases 16, Melvin Wilson 2, Isaiah King 5, Miles Jones 10. 2FG — 24 3FG — 2 FT — 6 PF — 12

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Maurice Edwards plays key part in Alton Basketball success this season - Riverbender.com - 1/19/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

Athlete Spotlight: Maurice Edwards plays key for Alton's basketball success this season

 
by Brent Feeney, Sports Writer
January 18 2016 11:00 AM
 
 
1
 

 

 

ALTON – Maurice Edwards played a key role in Alton's big Southwestern Conference recent win over Belleville, but still thinks he can still make a bigger contribution to the Redbirds.

That even after Edwards and Marcus Latham combined for eight of the Redbirds' 10 three-point baskets in a 75-58 win over the Maroons. Edwards had a team-high 25 points in the win. The Redbirds lost to Edwardsville on Friday night and now stand 8-6 overall, 5-2 in the SWC. A scheduled Tuesday night home game against East St. Louis was postponed to Feb. 9 following the shooting death of an 11-year-old boy in Alton Monday evening.

 
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