BOYS' BASKETBALL
SHELLS STRIKE IT BIG – A quick start and shared scoring spurred the Roxana Shells on Tuesday. They rolled past Gillespie, 54-38, in a South Central Conference game at Larry Milazzo Gym.
Roxana shot in front 23-7 by the end of the first quarter and never looked back. The Shells led 28-18 at halftime and maintained their lead the rest of the way. Roxana improved to 12-13 overall and 4-2 in the SCC. The Shells defeated Carlinville, 69-49, on Friday night.
Trace Gentry scored 16 points to pace Roxana, which has conference dates remaining with Southwestern (Feb. 10), Vandalia (Feb. 17) and Hllsboro (Feb. 20). The Shells also entertain Marquette Catholic on Feb. 13 in a nonconference contest.
Freshman Jordan Hawkins punched in 12 points to complement Gentry’s point work. Chance Foss and Randy Skiff both pitched in 11 points.
OILERS FALL AT PIASA – Host Southwestern put it all together in overwhelming East Alton-Wood River, 76-34, in a nonconference game.
Tyler Rose scored a game-best 26 points for the Piasa Birds, who lifted their record to 17-5. They surged in front 41-22 by halftime and increased their advantage early in the second half.
A 10-0 spurt at the start of the third quarter pushed Southwestern’s lead to 51-22.
Rose, a 6-foot-6 junior, made 11 of 12 shots in his high-scoring effort. Sophomore Collin Baumgartner added 11 points. The Piasa Birds resume action Friday against North Greene in a nonconference game.
Mike Stimac netted 23 points for EA-WR, which slipped to 9-15. Stimac also had seven rebounds. Teammate Blake Marks contributed seven points. The Oilers are back in action next Tuesday at Mount Olive in Prairie State Conference competition.
ICE HOCKEY
EAST WINS ALL-STAR GAME – Sean Hofstetter of Columbia made his mark for the East Division in the Class 1A MVCHA All-Star game at the East Alton Ice Arena on Tuesday.
He scored four times to send the East past the West, 10-4, in a freewheeling affair. Four goals in the final eight minutes turned a close game into a lopsided one.
Brayden Emerick, Aaron Scott and Konnar Loewen of Bethalto, plus Seth Chester of East Alton-Wood River, scored for the West, which outshot the East 35-27.
The league’s postseason competition starts Thursday. Alton meets Collinsville at 8:45 in Game 1 of its Class 2A playoff opener at the East Alton Ice Arena. Bethalto, Marquette and EA-WR play in Class 1A next week.