ALTON – It was senior night for the Alton Lady Redbirds, and it turned into a special evening as they clinched the Southwestern Conference championship with a 60-58 win over the Belleville East Lady Lancers on Thursday night.
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What started as a slow beginning for the Lady Redbirds turned into another dramatic victory. The Lancers jumped out to a 16-12 lead after the first quarter. Alton responded in the second quarter, moving the ball well and taking a 27-20 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Belleville East Lancers at Alton Redbirds Girls Basketball
“This team likes making things interesting,” Alton head coach Deiondre Riney said. “It’s been a season where we’ve had some exciting wins that shouldn’t be exciting, but as a coach, you trust those players to get it done, and they do.”
In the third quarter, the Redbirds came out firing and extended their lead to 45-36 heading into the final period. It looked like Alton might pull away, but Belleville East made a late push, outscoring the Redbirds 22-15 in the fourth quarter to make it a one-possession game down the stretch.
“Even giving up a 10-point lead tonight and letting them tie it, these girls came back and made the next play,” Riney said.
Alton was led by senior Kyridas Orr with 14 points, followed by Ja’Kayla Steen with 13 points and Kaylea Lacey with 12 points.
“I feel like with it being senior night and the gym being packed and loud, we weren’t in a good mindset in the first quarter,” Orr said. “But then we got our emotions out and played as a team.”
Belleville East was led by DeAsia Wills with 16 points, Ramiyah Young with 15 points, and Hailey Gray with 14 points.
