After dismantling three opponents to open the season, the Collinsville High School boys basketball team found the sledding much tougher Saturday against Mt. Vernon and Marion in the Marion Thanksgiving tournament.

Image by Roger Starkey

The Kahoks (3-2) defeated Herrin, Sumner and Salem by an average of 38.6 points, but lost by double-digits in both contests Saturday. Mt. Vernon won a 57-44 game at 1 p.m. Saturday and Marion finished the tournament with a 51-39 win over Collinsville Saturday night.

Collinsville lead Mt. Vernon 19-17 after the first quarter, but stumbled the rest of the way. Mt. Vernon junior Braden Fitzjerralls outscored the Kahoks by himself in the second quarter. Fitzjerralls tallied 12 of his game-high 26 in the stanza. Collinsville scored seven.

The inability to find the net from 3-point land contributed to the Kahoks shooting only 36.4 percent from the field. Collinsville made only one of 13 attempts from beyond the arc in the game.

Nic Gonet (16) and Emondre Rickman (10) scored in double digits for the Kahoks against Mt. Vernon. Harrison Wethers (10) was the only CHS player to eclipse two figures in scoring against Marion.

The Collinsville deficit increased with each quarter against Marion. The Kahoks trailed by three at the end of the first quarter, eight at the half, 10 at the end of three and lost by 12.

Marion made a scintillating 59.5 percent if its field goals, including 4 of 8 from beyond the arc. The Kahoks shot only 38 percent, including a crippling 15.8 percent (3-19) from 3-point range.

Next up for the Kahoks is a 7 p.m. game Friday against Edwardsville at Vergil Fletcher Gym.

Collinsville scorers against Mt. Vernon: Gonet – 16, Flora – 2, Wilkinson – 5, Buehne – 6, Wethers – 5, Rickman – 10

Collinsville scorers against Marion: Gonet – 3, Wilkinson – 6, Buehne – 4, Wethers – 10, Rickman – 8, Davis – 8