By Phil Knapper – Metro Independent Contributor

Ni’Sean Rigmaiden had a big night for the North Tech Eagles, scoring a game-high 27 points, but a balanced Collinsville Kahoks team received scoring from eight different players and was able to solve North Tech’s aggressive, trapping defense in a 64-49 win Saturday night at the Nashville Sports Boosters Shootout.

Harrison Wethers / Photo by Roger Starkey

North Tech actually took a 4-0 lead in the game, but Collinsville got the ball in the paint and two free throws from big man Sean Davis put the Kahoks on top for good, 5-4.

The freebies were part of an 11-2 run that also included 3-pointers from Jacob Shaffer and Anfirnee Wilkinson to put Collinsville on top 11-6 midway through the opening stanza. Buckets from Shaffer and Harrison Wethers had the Kahoks on top 15-8 after one period and they were never headed the rest of the way.

“We see a lot of teams with quickness, so we were ready for it,” Collinsville coach Darin Lee said. “And we defended well in our man-to-man in the first half.”

That the Kahoks did. Ringmaiden scored to open the second period, but Collinsville did not allow a point for the next five minutes, opening a 22-10 lead on a Brett Langley 3-pointer. Collinsville led 26-16 at intermission.

The Kahoks continued to pad their lead in the second half. North Tech had no answer besides Ringmaiden. A Langley bomb put Collinsville up 31-18, with Davis adding two straight hoops in the lane for a 35-22 lead.

The rest of the quarter belonged to Wethers, who hit a 3-pointer, a pair at the line, and a driving hoop for a 42-24 lead. Collinsville led 44-30 as the final period began.

Baskets from Shaffer and Davis gave the Kahoks their largest lead of the game, 50-30, with 5:16 left and the game was, in effect, over.

“We made them play half-court offense and it frustrated them,” Lee said. “They like to get up and down and we limited that. We missed some shots and had a few more turnovers than we wanted but, with our tough schedule, we will take a 15-point win any day.”

Wilkinson had 16 points to lead the way for the Kahoks. Davis added 13. Mike Henderson-Burt had 11 and Kevin James 10 for North Tech.

Collinsville hosts Alton, ranked #7 in the state, at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Vergil Fletcher Gym.

Unofficial Line