Olivaria’s layup lifts East St. Louis past West in clash of defending state champions
With the basketball in his hands with time running down in a tie game, East St. Louis senior guard Jabril Olivaria didn’t have to think twice Friday at Belleville West High School.
Olivaria drove the length of the court in the final five seconds and scored on a layup at the buzzer as East St.. Louis defeated Belleville West 60-58 in a Sourhwestern Conference game.
West (3-5, 1-2), which trailed by as many as seven points late in the third quarter, rallied and tied the game at 58 on a pair of free throws by junior Tommie Williams with 5 seconds left.
Taking the inbounds pass, Olivaria didn’t hesitate. With lightning quickness, the 5-10 Flyer drove past two West defenders and beat a third to the basket, laying the ball off the glass and through the net as time expired.
“I really didn’t have time to think. In that situation, it’s get the ball and go. We practice that every day,” Olivaria said. “We’ve been struggling a little bit. Hopefully this win will get us going.”
Olivaria led the Flyers (4-4, 2-2) with 16 points while Jashawn Anderson chipped in with 13. Kelii’i Price led the way for West with 18 points, while Williams posted 15 point for the Maroons. Anderson is the lone starter returning for a Flyers team which won the Class 3A state title a year ago.
Williams was a key reserve for a Belleville West team which won its second straight Class 4A state crown in March.
East St. Louis coach Mark Chambers’ young, inexperienced team continues to grow.
“This is a big win. Any time you can win on the road in a very tough place to play it’s a big win,” Chambers said. “A lot of these kids haven’t played together at the varsity level, but we’ve got a lot of ability on this basketball team. The coaching staff knows it and the kids know it. As long as we continue to improve each day, we’re going to be fine.
“Jabril (Olivaria) did exactly what he was supposed too. He got the basketball and went. We play up tempo and he took the basketball to the basket. He attacked.”
East St. Louis, getting nine second quarter points from freshman Macaleab Rich, turned a five-point deficit in to a 29-26 halftime lead. And when Olivaria and Anderson scored to open the third quarter, the Flyers had the biggest lead of the night at 33-26.
But with Price and reserve DJ Newsome combining for four 3-point baskets, West rallied to take a 47-45 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Neither team broke loose in the final eight minutes.
West coach Alex Schobert said he was proud of the Maroons effort. But with a foul to give in the final seconds, the Maroons also showed their inexperience.
“We had a foul to give. We were expecting Jashawn (Anderson) to get the ball and with a foul to give that’s what we wanted to do. I guess we showed our inexperience there,” Schobert said. “I told the kids that we can either hang our heads or we can learn from his and be a better team down the road.”
“We don’t have or believe in moral victories around here. But I was very pleased at how we battled back and how we competed.”
Next up
East St. Louis resumes action at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, against Hazelwood Central at Webster Groves in Missouri. The Flyers then play at 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 26, against the Blue Knights at Normandy. Belleville West opens action at the Centralia Tournament at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 26.
This story was originally published December 21, 2019 at 12:03 AM.
