Alton, O’Fallon remain in tight race in SWC. Here’s a recap of 6 key girls games

Several big girls basketball games took place this week at metro-east gyms.

Here is a brief recap of some of the key games.

Breese Central 55, Civic Memorial 41 (Monday)

The Cougars rolled to a 14-point non-conference victory while improving to 10-6. The Eagles dropped to 8-9

Look ahead: Breese Central faces McLeansboro Hamilton County at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7. Civic Memorial faces Freeburg at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, at Breese Central.

O’Fallon 52, Belleville East 20 (Tuesday)

The Panthers rolled to a 32-point victory while improving to 15-3 overall and 4-1 in the Southwestern Conference. The Lancers dropped to 4-9, 0-4.

Shannon Dowell paced O’Fallon with 24 points.

Look ahead: The Panthers face Cape Notre Dame at St. Joseph’s at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7. The Lancers host East St. Louis at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10.

Edwardsville 45, East St. Louis 41 (Tuesday)

The Tigers posted a four-point Southwestern Conference victory against the Flyers.

Shakara McCline had 19 points for East St. Louis.

Look ahead: The Tigers visit St. Joseph’s at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 7. The Flyers visit Belleville East at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10.

Alton 66, Belleville West 24 (Tuesday)

The Redbirds had little trouble improving to 15-0 overall and 5-0 in the SWC against the Maroons, who dropped to 2-11, 1-3.

Alyssa Lewis led Alton with 18 points. Laila Blakeny (12 points), Jarius Powers (12 points) and Kiyoko Proctor (11 points) also reached double figures.

Look ahead: The Redbirds face Arlington Heights Hersey at North Central College at 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7. Belleville West hosts Mascoutah at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10.

Mascoutah 59, Centralia 34 (Tuesday)

The Indians coasted to a 25-point non-conference win while improving to 10-7. The Annies fell to 2-10.

Look ahead: Mascoutah visits Belleville West at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 9.

Mater Dei 39, Althoff 35 (Wednesday)

The Knights edged the Crusaders in a non-conference match-up.

Mater Dei improved to 12-3, while Althoff dropped to 12-4.

Avery Trame led the Knights with 11 points. Bella Peterson anchored Althoff with 16 points.

Look ahead: Mater Dei faces Benton at 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7. Althoff visits Mount Vernon at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 9.