Cahokia wins sectional semifinal
CENTRALIA, Ill. — Cahokia’s basketball team plays a style that is more than a little annoying for opponents.
“We nag, nag, nag,” Cahokia coach Darian Nash said.
The formula worked during the Comanches’ 57-37 win over Effingham in the Class 3A sectional semifinal Tuesday at Centralia. Cahokia (23-9) will play Friday against the winner of tonight’s semifinal between Centralia and Jerseyville.
Cahokia put the game away by starting the second half on a 14-0 run. Jarion Norris and Keenan Minor each scored five points as Cahokia pulled away to a 43-22 lead midway through the third.
“Coach wanted us to play better defense, because we didn’t play that good in the first half,” Minor said. “We needed to get more fast-break layups.”
Cahokia forced five Effingham turnovers and the Flaming Hearts missed their first seven shots of the quarter. Meanwhile, Cahokia hit seven of its nine shots in the quarter.
“I said we had to turn it up on the defensive end,” Nash said. “We were just relentless tonight (in the second half). We played defense in the first half kind of soft.”
Effingham (24-6) got as close as 17 in the third but never threatened.
Norris scored a game-high 21 for Cahokia and Minor added 11. Norris also led Cahokia with seven rebounds.
“When (Norris) comes to play, he’s hard to stop,” Nash said. “He’s really doing the little things.”
Effingham jumped out to an 11-6 lead, but Cahokia finished the first quarter on a 7-0 run powered by five points from Norris.
Cahokia went on an 8-1 run late in the second quarter. Minor started the run with a 3-pointer to make it 24-19 and consecutive Effingham turnovers led to a basket by Khyree Beckley and another 3-pointer by Minor to make it 29-20 Cahokia. Effingham scored a basket late to make it 29-22 at halftime.
“I thought that last minute of the second quarter (was the difference),” Effingham coach Ron Reed said. “We were down three or four … and we turned the ball over twice and they scored seven points off of our turnovers.”
Cody McCollum led Effingham with 11 points. McCollum, who averaged 21, scored just one point after halftime.
“If he was going to beat us, he was going to be dog tired,” Nash said.
Norris said Cahokia cannot be satisfied.
“We played pretty good, but we can always be better,” Norris said. “There are some things we need to work on with our press.”
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