https://www.theintelligencer.com/sports/article/BOYS-BASKETBALL-Tigers-come-up-short-against-14923517.php
BOYS BASKETBALL: Tigers come up short against Warriors
Scott Marion, smarion@edwpub.net
Published 1:27 am CST, Saturday, December 21, 2019
Edwardsville's Brennan Weller, left, pulls down a rebound while being guarded by two Granite City players.
Photo: Scott Marion/The Intelligencer
GRANITE CITY – Armed with momentum and a one-point fourth-quarter lead after four straight free throws following a double technical and ejection of Granite City coach Gerard Moore, the Edwardsville Tigers threw it a way.
EHS, which had the ball and a chance to extend its lead, instead committed a turnover that sparked a 7-0 Granite City run as the host Warriors beat the Tigers 52-46 on Saturday night. The Tigers didn't score again in the final three minutes.
"We were up one with less than three minutes to play with the ball and we've been doing good at that all year, but we had two turnovers and missed some free throws," said EHS coach Dustin Battas, whose team had 21 turnovers. "Then they got up by three and we had to start chasing."
It was the second win in a row for Granite City (6-2), while Edwardsville dropped to 5-3.
In the fourth quarter, Granite City pushed its lead to 43-36 on a layup by Marcus Pepper with 5:35 remaining.
EHS rallied to take a 46-45 lead with 2:50 remaining when Brennan Weller made four straight free throws after Moore was ejected with a double technical.
"We thought (the referee) missed a traveling call and I may have overreacted and I probably deserved the first tech," Moore said. "On the second tech, I called the referee over to get an explanation about the call and I got another tech. Maybe he misunderstood what I was saying, but I'm still curious why I got the second tech."
Edwardsville had the ball and an opportunity to go up by three or four points after Weller's four free throws, but the Tigers had a miscommunication on a pass and threw the ball away.
Granite City went ahead to stay at 47-46 on two free throws by Christian Jones with 2:26 to play. The Warriors pushed their lead to 51-46 on a free throw by Jones with 6.1 seconds on the clock.
The Tigers, meanwhile, missed four free throws and made two turnovers after Weller's free throws gave them the lead.
It was Granite City's second win over Edwardsville in the last three games. Prior to that, Edwardsville had beaten Granite City in 17 straight games.
"It's always fun to beat Edwardsville because they've always been better than us," Moore said. "This is an exciting win for our community and our school."
It wasn't exciting for Edwardsville.
Weller's four free throws on the double technical were a rare exception to an otherwise ugly night at the line for the Tigers, who connected on 39 percent of their free throw attempts (7 of 18).
"I told our guys 'let's work on the things we can control' and free throws are certainly one of them," Battas said.
Edwardsville's inability to sustain the momentum also proved costly in the third quarter.
A pair of free throws by Freddy Edwards gave Granite City a 32-23 lead with 4:29 remaining, but Weller reeled off nine straight points for the Tigers and tied the score at 32-32 with 1:55 to play.
But Granite City answered with a 7-0 run, going up 39-32 on a 3-pointer by JahKeis Tippett with 48 seconds left in the quarter.
"Every time they punched, we punched back," Moore said. "Defensively, we did what we were supposed to do and created turnovers and got layups."
Weller scored a game-high 25 points for EHS. He was the only Tiger in double figures.
Entering the game, Weller was Edwardsville's leading scorer with a 16.9 average, while Jack Nafziger was second at 5.9 points.
"We're always looking for guys that can score, but tonight they were pressuring all five guys and Brennan is a little more skilled right now to get his own baskets," Battas said. "We have other guys that can make some shots and we're confident in them."
The Tigers shot 39 percent (15 of 38) from the field, including 19 percent (3 of 16) from 2-point range.
Edwards led a balanced Granite City attack with 17 points. Tippett had 10 points, White and Pepper had nine points apiece and Jones had eight points.
The Warriors shot 50 percent (17 of 34) from the field.
Granite City committed 12 turnovers.
Edwardsville returns to action on 4 p.m. on Dec. 27 when it plays Decatur Eisenhower in the first round of the Collinsville Holiday Classic.
Reach reporter Scott Marion at smarion@edwpub.net