Weller Scores 19 Points, Nafziger 13, Hemken Pulls Down 12 Rebounds As Tigers Win Over Cahokia 58-31 At Jersey Mid-Winter Classic

JERSEYVILLE - Junior forward Brennan Weller scored 19 points, teammate Jack Nafziger added 13 points, and Nic Hemken pulled down 12 rebounds as Edwardsville went to 2-0 in the Jersey Mid-WInter Classic, gaining a 58-31 win over Cahokia Wednesday evening at Havens Gym.

The Tigers got off to a great start in the game, taking a 24-7 first-quarter lead, then parlaying that into a 38-10 halftime advantage.

"We got off to a very good start, made some baskets in the first half," said Edwardsville head coach Dustin Battas, "and combined that with some good team defense."

Hemken played particularly well against the Comanches, pulling down the 12 boards, and continued to show why he's one of the team's hardest workers.

"He was great on the glass tonight," Battas said. "Nic is always working, and he's always in the right spot."

Cahokia is now 2-17 after the loss, but has played hard all season and also has been in many of their games right to the end.

"They played us really hard," Battas said of the Comanches, "and they've got some really fast guys. They've been in a lot of close games, and they're going to win some games before the season ends.

"It was a great team win, our bench guys played really well," Battas added, "and we're looking forward to playing for the championship on Friday."

The Tigers, now 12-7, play their final game of the round-robin tournament Friday night against the host Panthers in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off. Jersey is 2-1 after losing to Granite City 57-45 in the nightcap, and Battas is looking forward to the challenge against the host school.

"They've got a lot of size, and size is hard for us to play," Battas said. "They play hard, they're smart and Stote (Reeder, the Panthers' coach) does a great job with them."

The key to winning the game against Jersey, according to Battas, will boil down to two things.

"I think doing a good job on offense and then, keeping them out of the paint," Battas said.

Colin Feeney also contributed to this story.

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Colin Feeney also contributed to this story

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