Forward Elle Evans Scored 22 Points In Tigers Win Over Alton In Class 4A Regional Final, Is iCAN Clinic Female Athlete Of The Month  

EDWARDSVILLE - Elle Evans, a senior forward for the Edwardsville High School girls basketball team, came up with a big game on Friday, scoring 22 points in helping the Tigers defeat Alton 60-54 in the IHSA Class 4A regional final at Lucco-Jackson Gym.

Evans has been one of the leaders on the team this season, helping the Tigers go to 25-4 as Edwardsville gets ready for a Joliet Central sectional semifinal game against O'Fallon on Tuesday night as the road to the state tournament continues.

For her hard work and contributions to the team, Evans has been named an iCAN Clinic female Athlete of the Month for EHS.

Evans, who plays for head coach Caty Happe, felt very good not just about the win, but also that Edwardsville came back from an opening 10-0 deficit to defeat an up-and-coming Alton team.

"This is a huge game for us," Evans said during a post-game interview. "This is just one stop on the road and coming back from a 10-0 deficit in the very beginning just shows the maturity of our team. So it's a huge win."

The maturity and experience of the Tigers indeed won out in the end.

"We're playing with three super-experienced and mature seniors along with a freshman," Evans said, "so that just shows our maturity and how good we are as a team together."

Evans also had kind words for the Redbirds, a very young and talented team that will be heard from during the next two to three years, also overcoming a two-week stretch where the COVID-19 virus went through the team, forcing Alton to cancel five games, including a rematch with Alton. The game was eventually declared no contest when a date to reschedule the game couldn't come up.

"They've really stepped up their game the last year," Evans said. "Kinda sad that we didn't get to play them the second time in the regular season, but I'm glad we got to play them here and get the win."

After the Tigers went down 10-0 in the first two minutes, the mood on the Edwardsville bench wasn't panic, but instead determination.

"We just had to keep our heads high," Evans said. "I mean, we knew we could come back from a deficit. Good teams can come back fast, and that's what we did. So, we just knew we had to keep our heads high and our confidence and that's what happened."

The Tigers and Panthers will square off in a 7 p.m. tip-off Tuesday night at Collinsville's Vergil Fletcher Gym. At the time of the interview, the Belleville West final between O'Fallon and Collinsville had yet to be played, with the Panthers winning 56-21. Evans knew no matter who the opponent turned out to be, it would be a tough game.

"O'Fallon always gives us a great game," Evans said, "so it's going to be a great game either way, Collinsville or O'Fallon. But we're just looking to keep this momentum rolling and just keep us going on the road to state."

Past the sectional semifinal game Tuesday night, Evans is confident that the Tigers can make it to the state finals Mar. 4-5 at Redbird Arena on the Illinois State University campus in Bloomington-Normal.

"Right," Evans said. "State's our goal and we're going to work as hard as we need to do to get there."

Riverbender.com's Athlete of the Month program is made possible by the generosity of our sponsors and the cooperation of our area high schools. This is a great accomplishment and one to be proud of. Please join us in congratulating this young athlete. We at Riverbender.com wish you continued success in your future!

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