Tigers Beat Alton in OT in Rock Island Sectional Semifinal

The Redbirds erased a 16-point deficit to force overtime, but would be outscored 7-6 in the decisive frame.

Bradley Piros, Reporter

Mar 4, 2026 12:01 AM

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MASCOUTAH – The Alton-Edwardsville boys basketball trilogy ended with a bang Tuesday night.

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After both teams won the away game during the 2025-26 regular season, and the teams having some prior postseason bad blood, the Tigers and Redbirds were set to run it back in an IHSA Class 4A Rock Island Sectional semifinal.

The game was moved by the IHSA to a closer neutral site being Mascoutah High School, and the estimated 1,200 or so fans in attendance got their money’s worth, an overtime barnburner that Edwardsville prevailed in 52-51.

The Tigers advance to the Rock Island Sectional championship where they’ll take on Peoria Richwoods (24-7) on Friday, March 6 at 6 p.m. at Rock Island High School. The winner advances to the Normal (Illinois State University) Super-Sectional on Monday, March 9 at 7 p.m.

It was postseason revenge for the Tigers who saw their season ended by the Redbirds in the Alton Regional championship game a season ago.

“I still feel bad for the guys from last year,” Edwardsville head coach Dustin Battas said after Tuesday’s sectional semifinal win. “We’ve got a lot of respect for Alton and coach [Dylan] Dudley. That was a really hard game, just happy we had a chance to win it at the end. I thought our guys really stood up and made some big plays in some big moments.”

Tuesday’s game saw nine lead changes in the first half. It was only a two-possession game twice during that time.

The Tigers got 10 points in the opening half from Brady Niemi. His four-point play made it 7-5 Tigers before Alton scored the game’s next seven points thanks to straight baskets from Josh Lumpkins and Tysean Jones as well as a three-pointer from Ryan Howard to go up 12-7.

The Tigers countered with another Niemi three and a Rowan Weller basket to tie it up 12-12. Alton led 16-15 after the first quarter. The Tigers were ahead 23-22 at halftime.

The script was immediately flipped when the Tigers outscored Alton 15-4 in the third quarter.

Niemi opened the fourth with a couple free throws after an Alton technical foul followed by a slam from Devyon Hill-Lomax to give the Tigers their biggest lead, 16 points at 42-26.

But Alton battled back with three-point plays from Howard and O’Bryant Brown as well as a basket from Keelan Lowe to cut the lead to eight, forcing Edwardsville into a timeout with just over five minutes left in regulation.

Out of the timeout the Redbirds went on a 9-2 run, sparked by three-of-four free throws from Brown. After another Tigers timeout, Semaj Stampley got on the board.

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He scored the game’s next eight points to give Alton the lead.

Trailing by two at 44-42, Alton called a full timeout with 31 seconds left with an upcoming baseline inbound. That play ended with Stampley being fouled while going up for a three from the corner, sending him to the line.

He made all three foul shots to take Alton ahead 45-44 with 17 seconds left. At the other end, Weller had the chance to give his team the lead, but he went 50 percent from the line, tying the game at 45-45. That’s how it stood after regulation.

Matthew Wilson scored the first basket of overtime for Edwardsville followed by a clutch three from Niemi to make it 50-45.

Niemi finished the night leading the Tigers with 16 points from five threes.

“Brady’s value is his shooting, and you don’t take a kid’s value away,” Battas said. “In other words, we were up a little bit, he was open, so you don’t want to just run the clock if he’s open and can shoot a three. I’ve never seen him miss three in a row and he proved me right there.”

Alton still didn’t go away. It got baskets from Brown and Howard to make it 51-49 with 1:11 left in OT. It turned into a one-point game at 52-51 after another basket from Brown as the Tigers called a timeout with 20 seconds to go.

After Edwardsville turned the ball over on the inbound, the Redbirds now had a shot for the win. But with only 0.6 seconds left on the clock, Alton couldn’t inbound the ball and get a shot off quick enough for a game-winner as the Tigers prevailed 52-51.

The Redbirds and their head coach Dylan Dudley never stopped believing.

“I just told those boys in there, when we were down 16 points, there was never a doubt in my mind that we were going to win the game,” Dudley said. “We had a lot of things go against us, a lot. But I just knew our kids were going to fight back and we were going to win the game.”

“I’m just proud of our kids for their fight, when things were looking bleak on the road and things were going against us, people in foul trouble, you get a technical foul that wasn’t deserved, all the things that were going against us,” Dudley said.

Stampley fouled out of the game with 45 seconds left in regulation. All eight of his points on the night came in the fourth quarter. The Redbirds were led by Brown with 15 points and Howard with 14.

Alton’s season ends at 21-12.

The Tigers have now won 10 straight and improved to 24-7.