3 Takeaways: East St. Louis vs O’Fallon

<p>Prep Hoops Illinois took in a monster matchup between Southwest Conference rivals on Friday as East St. Louis went on the road to play O’Fallon.  See who won, how they did it, and the prospects that stepped up in <strong>3 Takeaways: East St. Louis vs O’Fallon</strong>! </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Flyers Fly High in Second Half</strong></p> <p>East St. Louis carried a 13-3 record coming in while O’Fallon was 15-2.  It looked like O’Fallon was going to protect their home turf without one of their top players in [player_tooltip player_id="1276130" first="Caleb" last="Burton"] who was out with an injury.  They were the best team through the first 2 ½ quarters holding a 30-18 lead.  East St. Louis then ripped off a 29-14 run to close out the win 47-44.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>East St. Louis Duo Does It All in Win</strong></p> <p>The reason East St. Louis won this game was their duo of 2022 point guard [player_tooltip player_id="999560" first="Christian" last="Jones"] and 2023 forward [player_tooltip player_id="939073" first="Macaleab" last="Rich"].  Jones was so dynamic with the rock in his hands all night.  He sliced and diced the O’Fallon defense up over and over again whenever he wanted.  Usually they were for flying scoop shots that he made look effortless.  Also crashed the glass for second chance points.  Slick ball handler that wins off the bounce and has easy acceleration by his man.  His passing was on point as well.  In one stretch during the comeback Jones connected with Rich for a half court alley-oop, followed by a dump off, and then a transition dime.  Jones went for 21 points along with several steals with his active hands.  He is headed to Mizzou next season.  Speaking of Rich he is one of the most physically imposing players in the state.  Strong bodied combo forward that plays volleyball on the glass and throws down monster dunks with authority.  He did those two things all night flying in for offensive rebounds out of nowhere and had several impressive dunks in an18 point outing.  Also really liked what we saw defensively with his intensity on that end swatting shots and altering the opponents plans.  Couple of raw big men to track on this team are 2023 6’8” twin towers Demarion Brown and Cameron Boone.  Both have excellent frames and size.  Brown hit a baseline jumper early but wasn’t much of a factor in the second half.  Upside posts to track for sure!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>O’Fallon Shows Balance</strong></p> <p>The Panthers played their game but came up just short in the end being shorthanded.  Highest ceiling prospect on this team is 2023 shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id="1215303" first="Jalen" last="Smith"].  The lanky 6’4” wing has a lot of projectability to be a nice two way wing down the line.  Showed smooth handles on coast to coast to takes along with winning off the bounce.  Was pretty efficient as a scorer including a clean mid-range shot for 8 points.  Also like the developmental upside of 2024 wing Rini Harris.  The 6’3” sophomore has a rangy frame with skill potential as he created his own shot several times off the bounce and in the open floor for 8 points.  Senior 6’1” guard Peyton Mueller is a sharp shooter that isn’t afraid to mix it up as he had 7 points.  Unsung hero was the play from undersized post Kaleb Randolph who was active inside early scoring in the paint for 8 points.</p>