The highly anticipated rivalry match between the No. 11 Alton Redbirds and the No. 8 Edwardsville Tigers lived up to the hype. While the Redbirds took an early lead, the Tigers snapped back, winning 53-52 after senior guard Herb Martin’s last-second heroics.
Alton took a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter, as strong play on both sides of the ball quieted Edwardsville.
Junior Miccah Butler opened the Tigers’ scoring with a three-pointer, finally getting the team some footing.
Senior Bryce Pryor agreed the Tigers had a rough start but were able to recuperate well.
“My team played great,” Pryor said. “[We] struggled within the first few minutes but then got it together and won.”
Martin followed shortly after Butler with a layup, further closing the gap. Throughout the game, Martin’s layups, free throws and rebounds allowed the Tigers to catch up.
“My strategy was to keep my team’s spirits uplifted,” Martin said. “Because I knew there would be down moments in the game.”
Butler’s free throw ended the first quarter with Alton leading 10-6.
By mid-second quarter, Martin and Pryor secured a lead for the Tigers; Pryor shot a deep three-pointer, making the student section roar with Tiger pride.
Senior cheerleader Maddy Ziobro had never seen such a loud and enthusiastic crowd.
“They truly showed out that night,” Ziobro said. “I do believe they helped motivate and push our players to play their best.”
With 0.7 seconds left on the clock in the half, Martin made a quick layup and sank a free throw, leaving the Tigers in the lead 25-19 at the break.
In the third quarter, the Tigers found their groove with strong defense and offense with seamless passes, keeping the Redbirds on their feet.
Their renewed aggression forced Alton to call two time-outs, which allowed the Tigers to regroup with head coach Dustin Battas
The Tigers didn’t let up for the rest of the quarter and finished strong, leading 39-30.
With the last eight minutes on the clock, the Tigers focused on securing the win against the Redbirds to defend their No. 8 state ranking and reclaim the top spot in the Southwestern Conference.
Alton didn’t back down in the last quarter. They narrowed a nine-point gap, taking the lead by one point with two minutes left on the clock. Sophomore Rowan Weller, who wasn’t seen for much of the game, took the lead back for the Tigers heading into the last minute of the game 51-50.
Alton made a last-minute shot with 38.4 seconds left in the fourth, leaving the Tigers to scramble at the end with a time-out called by both with 16 seconds left.
Fans, coaches and players from both teams were on the edge of the stadium seats. With a tight Alton lead of 52-51, Martin had one final trick in the last few seconds.
He came back with a two-point shot in the last five seconds of the game, officially winning the game for the Tigers and defending their ranking.
“I was calm and composed,” Martin said. “I knew my team would be able to battle back.”