Columbia stays red hot highlighting big Friday night of basketball in southwest Illinois

The metro-east boys basketball season continued with several key games Friday night.

Here is a quick view of some of the outcomes.

Southwestern Conference

Belleville East 65, Granite City 57 (Thursday)

The Lancers downed the Warriors by eight-points in a non-conference match-up.

Antwine Wilson led Belleville East with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Jordan Pickett added 15 points and Mason Mosely posted 14 points.

Belleville East improved to 21-3 overall while Granite City fell to 12-11.

Look ahead: Granite City travels to O’Fallon for a 7:30 p.m. game Monday, Jan. 30. Belleville East visits Cahokia at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31.

East St. Louis 67, Alton 51 (at Lindenwood-Belleville)

Behind 26 points from Mcaleab Rich, the Flyers rolled to a 16-point victory against the Redbirds.

Along with Rich’s output, D’Necco Rucker notched 12 points and Davis Bynum scored 11 points, helping the Flyers improve 16-4 overall and 5-2 in the SWC. Althon dropped to 4-19, 0-9.

The Flyers continue to play at the former Lindenwood-Belleville and Belleville West campus while their athletic facilities get upgraded.

Look ahead: Alton hosts Hazelwood West at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31. East St. Louis entertains Collinsville at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3.

Edwardsville 41, O’Fallon 39

The Tigers edged the host Panthers in a big league contest.

Edwardsville improved to 15-8 overall and 5-3 in the SWC. O’Fallon dropped to 17-6, 7-2.

Look ahead: Edwardsville visits Lutheran St. Charles at 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30. O’Fallon hosts Granite City at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30.

South Seven Conference

Mount Vernon 63, Althoff 48

The Crusaders dropped to 7-19 overall and 0-6 in South Seven Conference following a 15-point home loss to the Rams.

Mount Vernon improved to 16-7 overall and 7-0 in league play.

Look ahead: Althoff visits Carbondale at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3.

Cahokia Conference (Mississippi Division)

Columbia 72, Salem 37

The Eagles rolled to their 15th-straight victory with a road win against the Wildcats.

Columbia outscored Salem 29-9 in the third quarter to end any doubt while improving to 23-2 overall and 6-0 in league play. The Wildcats fell to 6-18, 1-6.

Dylan Murphy led the Eagles with 24 points, while Jack Steckler posted 21 points and Sam Donald added 12 points.

Look ahead: Columbia visits Civic Memorial at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31.

Mississippi Valley Conference

Triad 65, Civic Memorial 31

The Knights rolled to a 34-point home win against the Eagles.

Triad is now 20-5 overall and 6-1 in league action. Civic Memorial fell to 11-13, 2-5.

The two teams just met in the championship of the Litchfield Rick McGraw Memorial where the Knights defeated the Eagles 58-40 in the championship game Jan. 21.

Look ahead: Both teams return to the court at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31, as Triad hosts SIUE Charter and Civic Memorial entertains Columbia.

Independent

Mater Dei 50, Teutopolis 46

The Knights climbed back to .500 at 11-11 following a four-point home win against the Wooden Shoes.

Look ahead: Mater Dei visits Centralia at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31.

This story was originally published January 26, 2023 at 9:39 PM.