Collinsville took an early lead against Soldan Tuesday at the Pyramid Plus Tournament in Herrin and continued to build it, before pulling away in the fourth quarter for an easy 63-45 win.
Senior guard Jacob Shaffer nearly outscored the Tigers (0-2) by himself in the opening period. Shaffer scored 10 of his game-high 17 points to lead Collinsville (2-0) to a 17-12 lead at the end of the quarter.
Image by Roger Starkey
Shaffer shot 6 of 8 from the floor on the game, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc and has scored 30 points in the Kahoks first two games. He scored 36 points all of last year, including three 3-pointers.
The Kahoks success this year will depend on the play of their inexperienced guards, who have played very well in the first two contests. Junior guard Nic Gonet contributed nine points Tuesday, one more than he scored all of last season.
Fellow junior guard Anfirnee Wilkinson struggled from the field, going 3 of 10, including 1 of 6 from 3-point-range, but managed to drop in nine points. Wilkinson scored 16 Monday. He scored 14 points during the entire 2012-2013 campaign.
Head Coach Darin Lee is not surprised at the success his guards have had in the season’s first two games. “They’ve worked to get better,” Lee said. “And the big guys draw a lot of attention, so that helps.”
Junior centers Emondre Rickman and Sean Davis each scored 10 points. Rickman was a force defensively, Lee said. Rickman was credited with five blocked shots.
After leading by five points at the end of the first quarter, eight at the half and nine at the end of three, Collinsville outscored the Tigers 21-12 in the final quarter. The difference was free throws. Soldan tried to foul their way back into the game, but the Kahoks made clutch free throws to salt it away. Collinsville made 13 of 18 free throws on the night.
Junior forward Harrison Wethers scored six points. Senior forward Matt Chambers scored two for the second consecutive game.
Collinsville will face Herrin, the host school, at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. Lee said the Kahoks should be favored to win, but fatigue and playing the host school could be factors. Collinsville will be playing their third game in as many nights, enduring a one-hour and 45-minute bus ride each way all three days.
“We’ve got a lot of depth, so that helps us,” Lee said. “We try to play a lot of guys; try to run some extra bodies out there.”
