Tigers Hit 12 Three-Pointers: Edwardsville Boys Provide Valiant Effort Against East St. Louis In Narrow 68-60 Loss

Tigers shoot strong early with multiple double-digit scorers but struggle in the final quarter against East St. Louis comeback.

Colin Feeney, Contributing Sports Writer

Dec 6, 2025 7:29 AM Dec 6, 2025 8:03 AM

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EAST ST. LOUIS – Four players scored in double figures for East St. Louis, led by 21 points from Alex Johnson, as East St. Louis came from behind to win its home opener over Edwardsville 68-60 in the Southwestern Conference curtain raiser for both teams Friday night at East Side’s gym.

Edwardsville displayed a strong effort, leading for nearly three quarters.

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The Tigers shot the ball very well in the first half, and had three players score in double figures, led by 10 at one point in the first half, and held a 36-30 lead at the interval. The Flyers fought back to tie the game at 51-51 after three quarters, then broke out to take the lead in the fourth and went on to win.

“I thought our guys did a lot of things well,” said Edwardsville head coach Dustin Battas. “I thought, first, our preparation and our competitiveness were good; we came out efficient on offense. I think we made 12 threes tonight, which is a big part of our offense, and then had the lead most of the game. And then, as the game wore on in the fourth quarter, we got into four trouble.

"Matthew Wilson getting into foul trouble hurt us some, which is a compliment to him being only a freshman. And Devyon (Hill-Lomax) got a bloody mouth and couldn’t come back in, so that hurt our rotation some, which led to us not being as good on offense. Then, they hit some tough threes, so then, they got the lead, and playing from behind was something that was just a little bit too much of a challenge for us with the short bench we had tonight.”

The Tigers shot exceptionally well in the first half, but the East Side was able to come back in the second half with good defense and timely baskets.

“I thought our offense executed things well,” Battas said. “We have Brady (Niemi and Miccah (Butler), who can really shoot, and then Rowan (Weller) made one, which is great. We’ve got willing screeners, and we have unselfish passers. So, when you mix those things together, you can be really efficient on offense."

He continued: "I think what it came down to in the end was that a few possessions where they made some tough baskets, we missed a few free throws, had a couple of balls not bounce our way, but we’re very proud of our effort, and we think they’re one of the better teams in the state, and we were right there with them at their place. I think that’s proof to our guys that we can get better every day, and compete for conference championships and postseason championships,”

It was your typical Southwestern Conference game, full of fight and competitiveness, where both teams played very well, indeed.

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“It’s a good way to start the league,” Battas said. “At East St. Louis, it was a good crowd. It’s always fun to play here, we would have liked to have won, and we’re hurt that we didn’t win. But we know there’s a lot more basketball to play. We know it won’t get any easier. Our job is to just to control our practice habits, and we get our guys ready each day. There are no nights off in the Southwestern Conference, so hopefully, we’ll be ready on Tuesday for Belleville West.”

It was about as good a game as anything that’ll be played this season, and Flyers coach Mark Chambers gave credit to the Tigers for their big start.

“Absolutely,” Chambers said. “Edwardsville came out swinging, and they were hitting shots from the volleyball line early in the first half. It caught our guys off-guard a little bit, but when you watch it on film, you it’s a little different than in person, but they had a great game plan for us, and fortunately, my guys, with it being the first home game, and with a large crowd like this, some of these guys’ first varsity experience, it waw a little challenging at first, but once we settled in, I thought we started playing the way we’re capable of. playing.”

The game started with Wilson sinking a three to give the Tigers the first lead at 3-0, but the Flyers countered with baskets from Jamison White to take a 4-2 lead. Butler later hit a three to give Edwardsville the lead back at 6-5, with a tough three from White giving the Flyers an 11-9 lead. Butler started to get hot with a pair of threes, but the Flyers were able to counter with White leading the way, and after a very rousing first quarter, the teams were tied at 19-19.

The second quarter saw Niemi hit a pair of threes to give the Tigers a 25-19 lead, which eventually became 31-21 when Niemi hit two more threes, forcing East Side to call a timeout. Butler then hit another three to make it 34-21, then the Flyers fought back to get to within 36-20 on a basket by Johnson. The score remained 36-30 for Edwardsville at halftime

The Tigers maintained a six-point lead through most of the third quarter, with Butler hitting another three, 41-25. The score became 46-29, when Devrice Johnson hit on a three-point play to make it 46-42, then White converted another three-point play to pull East Side to within 46-45. East Side went ahead, but the Tigers came back and forged a 51-51 tie after three quarters.

The final quarter saw a bit of a see-saw start, where the game stayed deadlocked at 58-58, then the Flyers went on a 10-2 run to finish the game, with White leading the way for East Side, and the Flyers took their 68-60 win.

Johnson led the way for the Flyers with 21 points, while White added 18 points, Terryon Webster hit for 17 points, and Phillip Jones scored 14 points. Butler led the Tigers with 22 points.

Edwardsville goes to 3-3, and stays in the Southwestern Conference next week, with home games Tuesday against Belleville West and next Friday against Alton, then finishes its home stand against Riverview Gardens of Riverview, Mo., in north St. Louis County on Dec. 15, all games starting at 7:30 p.m.

Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.