Sturdy defense lifts Belleville West over Lift for Life, Belleville East downs Alton
Belleville West’s big second-half push led to a victory over Lift for Life Academy in the semifinal game at the Chick-Fil-A Classic at Belleville East on Friday night.
The Maroons won their fourth-straight game after a 58-42 triumph against the Hawks to improve to 10-10 overall. They advance to the title game against hometown rival Belleville East in the teams’ second match-up this season. The Lancers got the best of Belleville West 66-57 in their prior clash.
“We’re playing our best basketball of the year right now,” West coach Alex Schobert said. “We just have to keep building on it day by day.”
Belleville West junior David Marshall Jr. led the Maroons with 9 points in the second half and totaled 13 for the game. Guard Jordan Lacey and forward Myles Liddell were the other Maroons in double-figures with 14 points each. Marshall Jr. knew the team’s defensive intensity was crucial.
“It was really our defense that was the key to this win,” Marshall Jr. said.
Lift for Life Academy dropped to 8-6 overall. Coach Torrey Davie thought his team made too many mistakes in the second-half stretch.
“We have to do a better job at responding mentally and staying locked in,” Davie said. “Having to guard all five of those guys (Belleville West starters) was really difficult.”
The Hawks had one player in double figures with Odis Grissom scoring 19 points.
Both teams got off to a rocky start offensively in the first quarter with the Hawks leading 4-3 through the first four minutes. Lacey then scored eight of the Maroons’ 12 points to produce a four-point advantage heading into the second quarter.
Junior Dennis Olds scored a layup to tie the game at 16 in the middle of the second quarter. Belleville West, however, finished the period with a three-point lead after buckets from Liddell and Daylen Byrd.
During the third quarter, the Maroons led by as many as 12 points. Lift for Life Academy finished the period with two straight buckets to cut the deficit to eight points.
Once the fourth quarter begin, Belleville West dominated the Hawks throughout to finish the game off.
East coasts in semifinals
The Lancers rolled past Alton 81-43 in the semifinal round.
Belleville East improved to 19-3, while Alton dropped to 4-16.
This story was originally published January 20, 2023 at 11:53 PM.