East St. Louis wins nail biter against Belleville East in Southwestern Conference clash
East St. Louis finished off Belleville East in clutch time to get a bounce-back Southwestern Conference victory in an intense environment Tuesday night.
The host Flyers led from start to finish in a showdown of metro-east powerhouses as they got past the Lancers 72-71 to improve to 10-3 overall and 4-2 in the Southwestern Conference.
“That’s what the Southwestern Conference rivalries are all about. I’m just glad we came out with the victory,” Flyers coach coach Mark Chambers said. “These guys are tough and it’s a next man up mentality.”
During Friday’s match-up against O’Fallon — a 60-58 loss — East St. Louis lost starting guard Dainen Rucker to a fractured hip, which led to some lineup changes. The Flyers then lost the following day to Kansas City Staley 67-48 at the 31st annual Highland Optimist Scott Credit Union Shootout.
East St. Louis senior and K-State recruit Macaleab Rich led the Flyers with 24 points and 12 rebounds Tuesday. Rich said he felt the team needed this win after dropping two-straight.
“Coming off two L’s we had to come in and play hard,” Rich said. “We needed this win right here.”
Teammates De’Necco Rucker (17 points), Antwan Robinson (13 points), and Davis Bynum (12 points) scored in double figures to help East St. Louis prevail.
Belleville East, meanwhile, fell to 15-3 overall and 4-2 in SWC action. Coach Jeff Creek said this type of match-up will prepare the team going forward.
“They need to play in these hostile environment because that’s what we’re going to see non-stop in the playoffs,” said Creek, whose team outscored the Flyers 27-13 in the fourth quarter. “We’ve got Collinsville this Friday, which is going to be a tough one so we just have to keep moving and keep working.”
SIUE recruit Jordan Pickett scored 25 of his 31 points in the second half, but it was not enough to carry the Lancers to the win.
The Flyers got off to a hot start with a 9-4 run through the first three minutes of the first quarter. Belleville East struggled to get into rhythm after scoring a few buckets and then East St. Louis finished off the quarter on a 13-6 run after Rich’s and-1.
Rich scored six points for the Flyers during the first two minutes of the second quarter to complete a a 9-3 run. After being down as many as 15 points, Pickett and forward Alex Jackson led the Lances on a 12-6 surge to end the second quarter, which still saw East St. Louis in front 37-25.
The Lancers cut the deficit to six points after a tough and-1 bucket by Pickett to begin the third quarter. East St. Louis turned it around quickly to finish the period up 15 points at 59-44 after trey balls from Rucker and Robinson.
In the fourth quarter, the Lancers got going and cut into the deficit with a 8-4 run before ultimately drawing within one point with 15 seconds left. In the final sequence, East St. Louis collapsed the paint and forced Pickett to take a contested three to survive the night.
Scheduling note
The Flyers were the home team, but the game took place at the former Lindenwood-Belleville and old Belleville West campus as the athletic facilities at East St. Louis continue to get upgraded.
Look ahead
The Lancers visit Collinsville at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, and then face Westminster at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, at Althoff. The Flyers visit Moline at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14.
This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 11:48 PM.