Lowery helps O’Fallon stay in SWC race with dramatic win against Belleville East
Logan Lowery and the O’Fallon Panthers played the role of spoiler and stayed in title contention in the Southwestern Conference all with one fourth quarter rally Friday, Feb. 14, against the Belleville East Lancers.
Lowery scored nine of his 11 second half points in the fourth quarter and the Panthers outscored the host Lancers 16-3 late to post a dramatic 57-52 win.
Without leading scorer Shaun Riley — whose has mononucleosis — for the third straight game, the Panthers (21-5) trailed the Lancers 49-41 with 5:39 remaining following the third basket of the period by East sophomore Braxton Stacker.
But, switching to a 2-3 trap defense, the Panthers changed the tempo and momentum of the game.
Sophomore Dawson Algee scored in the post and added a free throw, Lowery made a 3-point shot and when sophomore Caleb Burton drilled a 14-foot jumper with just over two minutes left, the score was tied at 49.
“We went to the 2-3 trap and it really turned the game around. We were able to get some points in transition and create some turnovers. I think they (East) turned the ball over three or four times there,” Lowery said. “We were able to hit some shots and make some plays in the last three or four minutes.”
Tied at 49 with less than two minutes remaining, the Panthers weren’t done making plays.
Following the Lancers fourth straight turnover, Algee scored again and when Lowery scored, the Panthers had a 12-0 scoring run and a 53-49 lead.
Stacker, who posted all nine of the Lancers fourth quarter points, connected on a 3-point jumper to cut the deficit to 53-52 with under a minute left.
After Lowery increased the Panthers advantage back to three at 55-52, East (16-10, 3-6) had one final chance to tie the score. But Stacker’s 3-point attempt bounced off the rim with less than 11 seconds remaining. O’Fallon closed out the win from there.
“They (East) had that run there with three baskets going baseline ... and so we ended up going to that little trap there,’’ Panthers coach Brian Muniz said. “They (East) turned the ball over a few times and when we hit some some shots, it’s a game.
“Then it comes down to the last shot. We did good job of closing it out there.”
Victory keeps O’Fallon in Southwestern Conference race
The win moves O’Fallon to 7-2 in the SWC, one game behind Collinsville The league leading Kahoks are ranked fifth in the Associated Press Class 4A state poll this week.
O’Fallon is ranked 10th. But on this night what mattered was the Panthers won their second in three meetings with East this season, while spoiling Belleville East’s Senior Night celebration.
“What happened is that we turned the basketball over and just made some bad decisions late in the game,” East coach Jeff Creek said. “We’re young, but at this time of year everybody is a year older.
“This is tough because I really wanted to win this one for the seniors. But I felt like we just kind of gave this one away.”
Next up
Both teams resume action at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, as East visits rival Belleville West and O’Fallon travels to Mascoutah.
