O’Fallon’s dominant second half leads to huge win over previously undefeated Alton team

In an intense Southwestern Conference match-up, O’Fallon took over the entire second half to pull off a monumental win against Alton on Thursday night.

Alton entered the game ranked No. 1 in the latest Class 4A AP poll, while the Panthers check in at No. 9.

In the end, the Panthers recorded their third straight win as they coasted to a 51-38 victory against a previously-undefeated Redbirds squad to improve to 23-4 overall and 8-1 in the SWC.

“What an opportunity that we got to play the No. 1 team in the state on your home floor — we knew it would come down to it possibly tying for the conference,” O’Fallon coach Nick Knolhoff said. “We’re just as good as anybody in the state ... I think we can have a good run (in the Illinois state playoffs).”

Star guard Shannon Dowell led O’Fallon with 12 points and noted she felt these are the types of games every basketball player wants to experience.

“I love playing in this environment; I feel like this is what every hooper lives for,” Dowell said. “We just want to keep this momentum going and keep getting better every day.”

Alton, meanwhile, dropped its first game of the season to fall to 24-1 overall and 8-1 in league play. Coach Desera Howard knows the Redbirds can bounce back from this first loss.

“This is something we can come back from, but I think this shows that you have to play every single possession,” Howard said. “I feel like we just didn’t play our style of basketball — we played a little individual and it showed.”

Alton sophomore Jarius Powers led all scorers with 17 points.

O’Fallon’s Jailah Pelly chipped in 10 points to help the Panthers secure the victory.

In the first quarter, both squads went on 6-0 runs for an early deadlock. After a trey from forward Laila Blakeny, the Redbirds finished the quarter with a 10-6 lead.

Alton maintained a six-point lead following a 3-pointer from guard Kiyoko Proctor after O’Fallon’s Josie Christopher had drilled a 3-pointer to light the crowd up through the first few minutes of the second quarter. Trailing 22-18, Pelly scored consecutive layups to tie the score at 22-22 heading into halftime.

To begin the third quarter, O’Fallon grabbed its first lead after a 3-pointer from Dowell and a fast-break bucket from forward D’Myjah Bolds to go up 31-26. As the Redbirds struggled from deep, the Panthers later went on a 9-4 run to lead 40-30 as the crowd erupted.

After carrying the double-digit margin into the fourth quarter, O’Fallon never looked back. Alton guard Alyssa Lewis connected on a pair of treys, but the Panthers held strong and closed out the victory.

Look ahead

Alton resumes action at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31, at home against Granite City. O’Fallon next plays at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31, at East St. Louis.