Kahoks Start Strong in Tight Loss Against Tigers

COLLINSVILLE - First-year Collinsville head coach Hank Matthews is getting his first taste of the competition of the Southwestern Conference, and it’s something he wouldn’t trade for anything. Edwardsville slipped by Collinsville's boys 43-41 on Friday night, Dec. 19, 2025, at Collinsville.

“I’m getting introduced to it,” Coach Matthews said. “I’m still somewhat young, and I think I might have gray hair by the end of the season,” he said with a smile. “But you know? This is what you want. This is why I’m here to coach great players on the floor, and just be a part of the game that I love. So, it was definitely a grind.”

Both teams did play well overall on the evening, and Matthews was very happy with how the game started for the Kahoks.

“I was really proud of the way we came out,” Matthews said. “We started really well, established a presence where we wanted to establish a presence on offense. Then, we got into some foul trouble, and it was tough for us to produce points after that. So, we’ll take a look at film of how we can be more effective when that happens, and we’ll try to improve.”

Butler’s big three late, which gave the Tigers a 40-36 lead, was a critical turning point in the game, and Matthews had high praise for him.

“He’s a good basketball player,” Matthews said. “To his credit, we had to spend a lot of energy and attention on him, and I thought we guarded him well. He got loose a couple of times, and that’s what happens with good players. They get loose, they see their opportunity, and they take it. He hit a really deep one, and sometimes, you’ve got to tip your cap. But for the most part, I thought we did a really good job on him.”

The Kahoks meet Bartonville Limestone in a shootout at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville on Saturday, and it’s a chance for Matthews to go up against his father, Eddie, an Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall-of-Fame member who coached at Peoria Notre Dame Catholic for many years, then coached Limestone for many years afterwards, and is currently an assistant coach for the Rockets. It’s a game Hank Matthews is looking forward to.

“Everything I am as a man, and as a coach, is because of him,” Matthews said. “He was an amazing coach, but he’s an even better dad, and no mistake, I’m trying to win tomorrow. It’s going to make my Christmas with a little bragging rights,” he said with a smile.

Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.

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