5 Takeaways: Edwardsville vs Alton

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First place in the Southwestern Conference was on the line in the metro east on Friday night as Alton (15-3) traveled to Edwardsville (15-1) with each only having a single conference loss on their resumes.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Alton jumped out early 7-0 in the contest in the first quarter.&nbsp; From that point forward it was pretty much dominated by Edwardsville the next two quarters having a somewhat comfortable lead heading into the fourth before Alton erupted for three triples to get the game within a possession.&nbsp; It was on from that point!&nbsp; Went back and forth down the stretch with Edwardsville getting the key bucket with 4 seconds left to take the lead and a stop to win it 53-52.&nbsp; We dive into the contest in <strong>5 Takeaways: Edwardsville vs Alton</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Martin Continues to Shine as Senior Including Game Winner</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We had been hearing buzz about Edwardsville senior guard Herb Martin who is averaging 20+ a game as a senior.&nbsp; This was our first chance to see him.&nbsp; He was very impressive with his quickness off the bounce.&nbsp; Scoring lead guard that was super quick with his first step blowing past defenders on straight line takes.&nbsp; He did it consistently throughout the night.&nbsp; Had a massive and-1 at the end of the half.&nbsp; With the game on the line the Tigers went to their senior who hit a tough turnaround jumper for the win.&nbsp; He had 23 points in the victory.&nbsp; Junior colleges and high-end small colleges should be all over him down the stretch!&nbsp; He was also helped in the backcourt by fellow senior guard Bryce Pryor who is a crisp ball handler and confident shot maker at the point guard spot draining a pair from distance.&nbsp; He had 8 points along with the game winning steal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Edwardsville Pair of Young Wings Put Name on Map</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two wings put their name on our radar with their play.&nbsp; We came away very intrigued with [player_tooltip player_id='2277698' first='Miccah' last='Butler'].&nbsp; The 6'4” small forward has a long and lanky frame.&nbsp; We noticed him in warm ups pouring in three after three.&nbsp; That continued in the game as he did the same knocking in a trio from distance.&nbsp; Plus shooter off the catch with such a free and effortless release.&nbsp; Like his fluid movements off the ball and flashed defensive potential scoring 10 points.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='2749981' first='Rowan' last='Weller'] is a 2027 6'3” shooting guard that was a monster in the first half defensively holding Stampley scoreless.&nbsp; Good size and strength.&nbsp; Used his length to get into him and had a ton of energy chasing him all around making everything hard on the Alton superstar.&nbsp; Offensively he flashed in the second half as he used his creativity off the bounce along with scoring on a mid-range jumper off a dribble handoff for 8 points.&nbsp; Had not seen either play previously.&nbsp; Definitely prospects who's names need to be out there more.&nbsp; On the back end there were flashes from highly ranked wide receiver in the 2026 class Devyon Hill-Lomax as an athletic defender on the back line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stampley Heats Up in Second Half</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the first half Alton star [player_tooltip player_id='2376270' first='Semaj' last='Stampley'] was held scoreless.&nbsp; He went off in the second half however scoring 18 points in the loss.&nbsp; Hit a couple of clutch threes including one falling off balance from the wing to get his team going in the fourth.&nbsp; What stood out was his competitiveness that he wasn't going to let a slow start define him.&nbsp; He took it to the rack with authority showing such a tremendous burst with the ball in his hands and acrobatic conversions using his combination of body control and strength.&nbsp; Also had a couple nice plays defensively with his hands.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Howard is 3 and D 2027 Wing to Track</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Alton has a 2027 wing to watch long term in [player_tooltip player_id='2540188' first='Ryan' last='Howard'].&nbsp; We continue to be impressed with him each time out.&nbsp; Rangy wing who is an ideal 3 and D candidate.&nbsp; He can really shoot it from distance with a clean stroke off the catch.&nbsp; Loves the corner triples especially.&nbsp; He made four from distance in the game.&nbsp; Also like what he brings defensively with his length and anticipation finishing with 16 points.&nbsp; Also want to give props to senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2375631' first='Kobe' last='Taylor'] for how he played especially early with his smooth lefty shot scoring 10 points on three triples.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Long Way to Go But Edwardsville Leads in Conference Race</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This game gives Edwardsville a 12 game winning streak and a one game lead in the conference race over Alton with six games remaining.&nbsp; They also split the season series with Alton with each protecting their home floor.&nbsp; Should also be noted that the win was even more impressive considering that Iose Epenesa that 5-star senior football recruit wasn't there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->