Weller Leads With 16 Points, Tigers Outscore Kahoks In Critical Fourth Quarter 23-13 To Take Big 47-40 Win

Rowan Weller is spark for Tigers as they overcome defensive challenges to secure a victory.

Colin Feeney, Contributing Sports Writer

Feb 11, 2026 1:35 PM Feb 11, 2026 2:32 PM

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The Tigers' Rowan Weller. EDWARDSVILLE – Rowan Weller led the way for Edwardsville with 16 points as the Tigers outscored Collinsville 23-13 in a critical fourth quarter to take away a 47-40 win in a key Southwestern Conference game Tuesday night, Feb. 10, 2026, at Lucco-Jackson Gym.

The win, combined with an Alton loss to Belleville West 49-47, allowed the Tigers to take over second place in the Southwestern Conference standings, and stay a game-and-a-half behind East St. Louis, which won over Belleville East to stay undefeated in the league at 9-0 with three games left.

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The Tigers did have some difficulty with the Kahoks and their defense in the game, but managed to pull through in the fourth quarter.

“I think their length (Jordan Taylor), his length around the basket, makes it hard, and they try hard,” said Edwardsville head coach Dustin Battas. “Their coach (Hank Matthews) does a good job. So, you’re going to get some threes; you’ve got to try to make them. I think we were six-for-19.

"They’re going to guard the rim first, and work out from there, so you’re going to get some perimeter shots. You have to take advantage of those situations, but ultimately, I think it’s going to come down to when you have a chance to get in around the rim, make it, and little things like making your free throws. But a lot of it’s their length and their guard quickness.”

The IHSA Class 4a playoff seedings are set to come out on Wednesday, and the win may have improved Edwardsville’s chances of gaining a top seed in their sectional complex.

“We know there are a lot of people talking a lot about the seeds right now,” Coach Battas said, “and I just told our guys to take care of what we can take care of. There’s a chance we can get a one seed or a two seed. You lose tonight, and that puts some of that stuff in jeopardy.

"So, we feel good about what we’ve done, we’ve done everything we can control, as far as winning tonight, winning the big one at Alton on Friday, and beating Belleville West. And now, a lot of it depends on what happens around the conference tonight.”

The first half of the game was a defensive struggle, as both teams played excellent defense, with Collinsville leading at halftime 17-15.

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“I thought we really guarded very well in the first quarter,” Battas said. “We held them to nine points; one of them was a banked-in three. The struggle was that we only scored six. We missed a lot of shots in the first quarter.

"Otherwise, you’ve got to think if you hold them to nine points, you’re going to have the lead at the end of the first quarter. But we held them to eight in the second quarter, so consistent defense the whole night gave us a chance, and finally, when we started to get some shots, I think we scored 23 points in the fourth quarter. But effort and defense are something we have put our hat on the last month or so, and that’s won us a lot of close games.”

The Kahoks played well defensively for three-plus quarters and held the Tigers at bay until the end.

“I thought defensively, for three-and-a-half quarters, we were really good,” said Collinsville coach Hank Matthews. “I think a couple of offensive possessions later hurt us, and credit to them, they were able to execute on the other end.”

For the first few minutes of the game, the only point scored was on a Miccah Butler free throw that put the Tigers up 1-0. As the quarter went on, traded threes would put Edwardsville ahead 6-3, but a pair of free throws by CaMauri Mayes, and a pair of baskets by DeAndre Brown and Kaleb Garcia would put Collinsville ahead 9-6 after the first quarter.

In the second quarter, a Butler three tied things up 9-9, and another three from Sire Borden put the Tigers ahead 12-9, Baskets from Taylor and Brown put Collinsville back on top 13-12, and a basket from Jace Wilkinson extended the lead to 15-12, before a three from Tucker Lindstedt tied the game at 15-15. Before the buzzer, Mayes scored from close in to give the Kahoks a 17-15 halftime lead.

An early third-quarter basket from Garcia upped the Collinsville lead to 19-15, with Weller and Butler scoring to tie the game at 29-29. A free throw put the Kahoks back on top 20-19, and the two teams exchanged baskets for the remainder of the period, with Collinsville leading 27-24. In the final period, a three-pointer by Brady Niemi tied things up again at 27-27, who later hit a three-point play to extend the lead to 31-28.

Wilkinson and Taylor hit five straight free throws between them to give Collinsville a 33-31 lead, with Weller then leading the final charge for Edwardsville, scoring five straight points, including a three-point play, to give the Tigers a 39-36 lead, Weller, Matthew Wilson, and Butler would kit key free throws in the final minutes to help Edwardsville gain their 47-40 win.

Weller led the Tigers with 16 points, while Butler scored eight points, Borden had seven points, Max McMicheal and Linstedt both hit for five points, Niemi had four points, and Devyon Hill-Lomax scored two points. The Kahoks were led by both Mayes and Wilkinson, who had 10 points each, while Brown, Garcia, and Taylor all had six points apiece, and JuPaul Hudson scored two points.

Edwardsville goes to 18-7 overall, and is at O’Fallon on Friday night, and hosts Belleville East next Tuesday night, both games starting at 7:30 p.m., then winds up the regular season Feb. 19 at St. Louis Confluence Academy, with a start time to be announced.

Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.