Belleville East, O’Fallon post conference victories as boys basketball action heats up

Basketball season is in full swing for metro-east teams.

Here is a quick look at some of Friday night’s big games in the area.

Belleville East at Collinsville

The Lancers posted a 69-66 road win against Collinsville in the Southwestern Conference opener for both teams.

Belleville East is 4-0. Collinsville is 3-2.

The Lancers had opened the season blowing through three opponents to capture the Alton Tournament, capped by a 59-25 win against SLUH.

The Kahoks opened their campaign with a 3-1 mark at the Mascoutah Tournament.

Look ahead: Both teams resume league play next week as Collinsville entertains Belleville West at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, and Belleville East hosts Edwardsville at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9.

Quick snapshot of 2021-22: Belleville East went 19-12 overall and 7-5 in the SWC; Collinsville went 26-6, 9-2.

Belleville West at O’Fallon

The Panthers outscored the Maroons 34-15 in the second and third quarters en route to a 52-40 SWC victory.

O’Fallon improved to 3-1. West dropped to 4-1.

Koby Wilmoth led the Panthers with 14 points, while Kaleb Randolph and Jalen Smith added 11 points each. Jordan Lacey paced the Maroons with 16 points and David Marshall Jr. chipped in 14 points.

The Maroons had opened the season by winning four games in a tournament in Lincoln, capped by a 63-62 win against Mount Zion. The Panthers, meanwhile kicked off the season by going 2-1 in a tournament in Alton.

Look ahead: Both teams resume SWC action at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, as West visits Collinsville and O’Fallon travels to Edwardsville.

Quick snapshot of 2021-22: O’Fallon went 23-8 overall, 8-4 in the SWC; Belleville West went 8-20, 1-11.

Althoff at Marion

The Crusaders opened South Seven Conference action with a 62-42 loss the the Wilcats.

Althoff is 3-3 overall, 0-1 in the South Seven. Marion is 2-3, 1-0..

The Crusaders opened the season with a 2-2 mark at the tournament in Lincoln.

Look ahead: Althoff resumes action at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, at home against Mater Dei.

Quick snapshot of 2021-22: Althoff went 10-22 overall and 4-6 in league play.

Edwardsville at Alton

The Tigers outscored the Redbirds 30-18 in the second half en route to a 59-42 SWC victory.

Edwardsville is 2-2, 1-0, while Alton is 1-3, 0-1.

Look ahead: Both teams resume conference play at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, as Edwardsville entertains O’Fallon and Alton hosts East St. Louis.

Quick snapshot of 2021-22: The Tigers went 11-19 overall and 4-8 in league action, while the Redbirds went 4-23, 1-10.

East St. Louis idle Friday night

The Flyers were off Friday night but opened the season by going 4-0 in winning the championship of a tournament in Rockford to open the season.

Look ahead: East St. Louis opens SWC action against Alton.

Quick snapshot of 2021-22: East St. Louis went 27-6 overall, 10-0 in league play to capture the title. The Flyers also reached the super-sectional round.

Columbia at Wood River

The Eagles romped to an 83-52 road victory against the Oilers.

Columbia improved to 5-1 and 1-0 in the Mississippi Division of the Cahokia Conference. Wood River dropped to 1-4.

Dylan Murphy paced the Eagles with 25 points and Sam Donald added 9 points.

Look ahead: Columbia resume action at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, at home against Salem and Wood River hosts Staunton at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6.

Quick snapshot of 2021-22: Columbia went 23-9 overall and 7-3 in the Mississippi Division of the Cahokia Conference. The Oilers went 12-20, 2-8.

Waterloo at Triad

Triad rolled to a 49-35 victory against Waterloo in the Mississippi Valley Conference opener for both teams.

The Knights improved to 5-0, 1-1. The Bulldogs dropped to 2-1, 0-1.

The Bulldogs opened the season with wins against Gibault and Lebanon. The Knights opened the season at 4-0 capped by a 49-46 win at Springfield.

Look ahead: Both teams are back in action Tuesday, Dec. 6, as Waterloo hosts Red Bud at 7 p.m. and Triad visits Breese Central at 7:30 p.m.

Quick snapshot of 2021-22: Waterloo finished 18-15 overall and 7-3 in the MVC. The Knights went 15-17, 3-6.

Highland at Mascoutah

The Indians held off a late push from the Bulldogs to post a 57-53 MVC victory.

The Indians are 4-1, 1-0 and the Bulldogs are 3-1, 0-1.

Mascoutah went 3-1 in its own tournament to open the season, capped with a win against Nashville. Highland also went 3-1 in a tournament at Effingham St. Anthony.

Look ahead: The Indians host Salem at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, while the Bulldogs entertain Jerseyville at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9.

Quick snapshot of 2021-22: Mascoutah went 23-8 overall and 10-0 in the MVC to capture the league title. Highland went 14-17, 6-4.

Other notables:

• Mater Dei defeated John Burroughs 60-54 behind 17 points from Trevor Reed. The Knights — who went 20-12 last season — next face Althoff and are 2-0.

• Breese Central defeated host Salem 68-34. Cody Dickshot led BC with 16 points. The Cougars are now 5-0 after winning the season-opening Effingham St. Anthony Tournament. Breese Central — which went 28-6 overall and 9-1 in the Mississippi Division of the Cahokia Conference last season to capture first place while reaching the sectional championship — next takes on Triad.

• Freeburg was idle. The Midgets are 2-2 on the season. Freeburg — which went 20-10 overall and 6-3 in the Mississippi Division of the Cahokia Conference last season — visits Roxana at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6.

This story was originally published December 3, 2022 at 7:00 AM.