COVID Protocols Force Alton To Cancel Game At Granite City Set For Thursday Night, Is Third Game Lost To Redbirds This Week

Colin Feeney, Contributing Sports Writer

Jan 3, 2022 3:08 PM

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ALTON - The Alton High School girls basketball team has lost its third game this week because of COVID-19 protocols when their game at Granite City, scheduled for Thursday night at Memorial Gym, was canceled.

The Redbirds, currently 12-3 and coming off a second-place finish at the Mascoutah Invitational tournament over the Holidays, previously had one other game canceled and another postponed. Alton was scheduled to play McCluer High of Ferguson, Mo. on Monday at the Redbirds Nest, then set to play a Southwestern Conference game on Tuesday at Belleville West. The game against the Comets will not be rescheduled, while the game against the Maroons to be possibly rescheduled. If that game against West can't be rescheduled, it will go into the books as a no contest, as per IHSA rules. Neither team's record would be affected by the no contest.

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The Thursday game against the Warriors was to have been the front end of a home-and-home series against Granite, with the return match scheduled for Feb. 1 at Alton. That game is still scheduled, and has not yet been canceled or postponed.

With the cancellations and postponement, it will mean that the Redbirds are scheduled to return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 11 with a SWC game against Collinsville at home, then have a rematch against Edwardsville Jan. 13 at Lucco-Jackson Gym, the Tigers having won at Alton 66-44 on Dec. 2. The Redbirds are then set to host Hazelwood West on Friday, Jan. 14.

Granite City Community Unit School District #9 is temporarily adjusting its spectator policy for athletic events held at Granite City High School and Coolidge Junior High due to the surge of COVID-19 transmissions.