Collinsville’s starters carry the load to SWC road victory against Belleville West
Collinsville kept its composure in the fourth quarter to escape with a big win over Belleville West in Southwestern Conference action Friday night.
When the dust settled, the Kahoks improved to 16-9 overall and 4-4 in Southwestern Conference action following the 71-60 road triumph against the Maroons.
“I think West has been playing extremely well here lately — that was a big win for us,” Collinsville coach Darin Lee said. “He (Zach Chambers) gives us a dimension in there with our shooters (Jamorie) Wysinger, (Jake) Wilkinson and (Nick) Horras.”
Chambers, Collinsville’s center, led all scorers with 21 points, while Wysinger added 17 points and Wilkinson chipped in 16 points.
Overall, Chambers knew by getting position in the paint the team would benefit in tonight’s game.
“I can get the ball at will if I work as hard as I can and it opens up the floor for my teammates so that’s a big part in winning this game,” Chambers said.
Belleville West, meanwhile, dropped its second-straight game, falling to 10-12 overall and 2-6 in SWC action. Coach Alex Schobert knew coming in the Kahoks would be a physical team and would want to prevent the paint buckets.
“Tonight we got out-toughed on too many possessions and they got way too many easy baskets,” Schobert said. “I thought we were headed the right way in the month of January going into this game, we just need to get back to that.”
The Kahoks led 5-4 after through the game’s first three minutes. Collinsville used a 17-4 run to end the first quarter after a behind the back dime from Wysinger to Chambers for a 22-8 lead.
Belleville West got hot in the second quarter with a 12-2 run to cut the deficit to four after multiple buckets from forward Myles Liddell and guard Daylen Byrd. Both squads traded baskets before the Kahoks ultimately settled for a 32-29 halftime margin.
Wilkinson nailed a trey ball and Chambers finished an and-1 for a 10-point lead to begin the third quarter. Multiple Maroons started to get going to cut the deficit to single digits heading into the final eight minutes.
Collinsville, however, maintained a eight-point lead through the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. Following a comeback attempt from the Maroons, Nick Horras knocked down clutch free throws to help Collinsville secure victory.
Look ahead
Both teams have non-conference games at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31, as Collinsville entertains Lift for Life and Belleville West hosts Mascoutah.
