Collinsville lost to O’Fallon 48-45 Friday, unable to overcome a two-point second quarter and a technical foul late in in a two-point game

Kahoks’ center Sean Davis is fouled attempting a shot in the third quarter / Photo by Roger Starkey

With 1 minute 35 seconds remaining and Collinsville (0-3 Southwestern Conference, 3-5) trailing 40-38 Friday, Head Coach Darin Lee was whistled for a technical foul. Lee did not appear to be demonstrative before being called for the technical foul at a critical point late in a close game.

“I said ‘that’s a foul” and he called it (on me),” Lee said.

O’Fallon (1-1 SWC, 3-4) junior guard Donovan Franklin converted both free throws after the technical foul to push the lead to 42-38. After fellow junior guard Derion McClain converted two foul shots on the ensuing possession to put the Panthers up six with less than one minute remaining, it appeared the game was salted away.

But Kahoks’ junior guard Anfirnee Wilkinson marched up court and drained a 3-pointer with just under 35 seconds remaining to make the score 44-41 and Jamal Wellmaker, a junior guard receiving his first playing time of the contest, stole the ball with 25 seconds remaining. The Kahoks crowd, reserved most of the night, came to life as their team raced the ball up-court and toward the student section. The fans went quit again, though, when junior guard Nick Gonet was stripped of the ball before Collinsville could attempt a shot.

Franklin was fouled immediately and preceded to miss the front end of a one-and-one. Freshman Ronnie Midgett, playing his second varsity game, sprinted down court, drove the lane, and was fouled attempting a layup with 5.8 seconds remaining. The 5-foot-10 Midgett knocked down both free throws and, with the deficit at one, the Kahoks fans once again roared to life, hoping for an end to their team’s four-game losing skid.

O’Fallon called timeout after they were unable to inbound the ball. Collinsville fouled McClain when the Panthers successfully inbounded the ball. His two free throws stretched O’Fallon’s lead to back to three with 4.9 seconds remaining.

Rather than risk a tying 3-pointer, the Panthers chose to foul Gonet before he reached half court on the ensuing possession. A pair of free throws had Collinsville back to within one, but Franklin drained a pair of free thows of his own with 2.4 seconds remaining. Wilkinson’s desperate attempt from near half court was wide of the mark as time expired, sending Collinsville to a 48-45 defeat.

Wilkinson, who scored a game-high 14 points, and the Collinsville big-men were more assertive than they have been since the Pyramid Plus Tournament in Herrin to start the season. Emondre Rickman, a 6-foot-8 junior, matched his season-high with 10 points on 4-7 shooting, twice converting on conventional three-point plays.

The assertiveness of the 6-foot-7 Sean Davis did not translate into as many shots or points as it did for his teammates.  Davis had only one official attempt from the field. He knocked down three second-half free throws to finish with three points.

Wilkinson benefited from playing off the ball against O’Fallon, as he had done during the season-opening tournament when he average over 18 points per game, Lee said. Wilkinson had been given more ball handling responsibilities after Jacob Shaffer was hurt. Shaffer has missed the last two games.

Collinsville’s aggressive offensive play did not pay dividends in the first half, certainly not in the second quarter. After leading 10-8 at the end of the opening quarter, Collinsville did not score a point until just more than one minute remained in the second quarter. “Our offense is a work in progress,” Lee said. “I’m disappointed in how we executed in the first half,”

After multiple turnovers and seven missed shots in the second quarter, Harrison Weathers followed the eighth missed shot with a floating left-hander in the lane. The basket cut the Panthers lead to 13-12. O’Fallon scored only nine points in the quarter, not making a field goal for the first 5:23 of the period.

The coaches’ halftime speeches worked for both teams’ offensive. The Kahoks outscored the Panthers 18-14 in the third quarter, to enter the final frame trailing 31-30. A pair of Davis free throws with 1:20 remaining in the third gave Collinsville its first lead since a 6-5 first quarter advantage. The score was tied three different times throughout the remainder of the game, but the Kahoks never again held a lead.

Franklin, with 11, was the only Panther to score in double-digits. Junior forward Parker Rustio contributed nine points for the panthers and sophomore forward Chance Armstrong added 8. Also scoring for O’Fallon were: McClain-7, Lochmann-6, Harrison-4, Isiah Armstrong-3.

Scoring for Collinsville were: Wilkinson-14, Rickman-12, Gonet-6, Midgett-5, Weathers-4, Langley-3, Davis-3