COLLINSVILLE • The Edwardsville-Collinsville boys basketball game Tuesday was a showdown for first place in the Southwestern Conference, and it lived up to the hype.
Edwardsville rallied from an 11-point third-quarter deficit and led by four in overtime, but it was the host Kahoks who emerged from the extra session with a 63-59 victory. Collinsville improved to 22-3 overall and 10-1 in the league.
"What do we charge to get in -- four bucks? It had to be worth that," Collinsville coach Darin Lee said. "It wasn't much fun for (Edwardsville coach) Mike (Waldo) or I -- it never is when you're in the battle -- but a casual fan got their money's worth. It's a big win for our program in general."
The last time Collinsville won a share of the conference championship was 2002, and the last time it won the title outright was 1996. Collinsville can clinch a share of the title (standings here) with a win Friday at home against Granite City.
"I would be very happy for some of our older fans," said Lee, who is in his third season with the Kahoks. "Collinsville basketball is part of their blood. It also gets the kids excited about basketball here to know that we can compete."
Collinsville seniors Daryn Foster and Jaris Wellmaker played major roles in the win. In overtime, Foster scored seven of his team-high 15 points, while Wellmaker had a key steal.
"Collinsville was really hard to defend tonight, and they got lot of low-post baskets," Waldo said. "It's hard to double-team them in the post with the other guys they've got."
A pair of late baskets by Caleb Johnson gave Collinsville a 27-18 halftime lead. With Wellmaker in foul trouble, Johnson came off the bench to score all eight of his points in the quarter.
Down by 11 early in the half, Edwardsville (17-5, 8-3) rallied to take its first lead of the game, 43-42, with 6:38 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The lead changed hands twice before a rebound basket by Wellmaker tied the score at 51 with 1:59 to play. Edwardsville had a chance to win at the buzzer, but Garrett Covington missed a 3-pointer.
In overtime, Covington hit a trey and added a free throw to put Edwardsville ahead 55-51 with 2:31 remaining. Collinsville got within one point on a long-range 3-pointer by Foster with 2:05 to play.
"That must have been a 24-footer," Lee said of Foster's trey.
The Kahoks took the lead for good on a pair of free throws by Devonta Crochrell. A steal and a layup by Wellmaker, after a goaltending call against Edwardsville, made the score 60-57 with 57 seconds left.
Edwardsville closed to within a point with 29 seconds left, but Collinsville went up by three on two free throws by Foster with 27 seconds on the clock. The Kahoks put the finishing touches on the victory with a free throw by Kusnerick with eight seconds left.
Wellmaker and Williams scored 11 points for Collinsville. Crochrell and Kusnerick added 10 and eight points, respectively.
Covington (21 points) and Harris (18) were the leading scorers for Edwardsville, while Curtis added 10 points.
