Stifling defense lifts Collinsville past O’Fallon in sectional semifinals
Collinsville coach Darin Lee admits he knows nothing at all about the Normal West Wildcats. But thanks to a lock-down defensive effort and the brilliance of Ray’Sean Taylor, he’s about to find out.
The top-seeded Kahoks held Southwestern Conference foe O’Fallon to 14 first half points while Taylor and Keydrian Jones keyed a 22-3 spurt to break the game open as Collinsville coasted to a 62-38 win Tuesday in the Class 4A Pekin Sectional semifinals.
Played before a near capacity crowd at Belleville West, the third and decisive game between the two SWC heavyweights was close for the first 11 minutes.
O’Fallon defeated Collinsville 55-41 in January after Collinsville had posted a 53-50 win to open the SWC season.
But when Jones, a 6-7 senior, scored three straight hoops and the 6-1 Taylor made consecutive 3-point jumpers, the top-seeded Kahoks (31-3) took off. Ending the first half with a 14-3 spurt to take a 25-14 lead, Collinsville put the Panthers away by scoring the first eight points of the third quarter for a 33-14 advantage.
O’Fallon (26-7) would get no closer than 12 points the rest of the night.
“It’s playoff time and it’s time to step up,” Taylor said. “Obviously we were playing good defense with them (O’Fallon) scoring only four points in the first quarter. We just had to knock some shots down and get out in transition. That’s what we did.”
The win lifts Collinsville into the sectional title game at 7 p.m. Friday at Pekin High School. Standing in the way of the Kahoks first super-sectional appearance since 1994 are the Normal West Wildcats.
Only 15-19 for the season, Normal West toppled Normal Community 62-47 in the other semifinal Tuesday.
Lee figured to be busy Wednesday morning digging up scouting reports and film on the the Wildcats and hoping the Kahoks defense is just as good as it was against O’Fallon.
Defense, Taylor key to outcome
“Our strength is our man-to-man defense and I told the team that any team we’ve had which has made a postseason run has picked the defense up in the postseason. In the first half tonight, it was very good,” Lee said. “It’s tough to play a conference team you’ve played twice already in the tournament, because you already know each other so well.
“The difference in the second quarter was Ray (Taylor). He hit a pair of 3-pointers ... and I mean tough 3-pointers with them (O’Fallon) on him. He also got out and created. O’Fallon is very good and they’re going to be the team to beat in the area next year. But when you have the best player on the court ...”
Taylor led all scorers with 21 points while Jones chipped in with 14. Senior point guard Cawhan Smith scored all nine of his points in the fourth quarter. Smith made 7-of-8 from the foul line to halt a late Panthers comeback attempt. O’Fallon closed to within 12 points twice in the final quarter.
“They (Collinsville) played great defense on us tonight. We just couldn’t ever get anything going,’’ O’Fallon coach Brian Muniz said. “But it’s been a great year. The kids have played hard all season and I’m very proud of this basketball team.”
Junior Mason Blakemore and sophomore Dawson Algee paced the Panthers with 12 points each.
This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 11:14 PM.
