SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- - Jace Easley scored 30 points, Conor McCaffrey added 22 points and 13 assists, and Our Savior's beat Trinity Edwardsville 59-50 on Thursday.
The game was close until about midway through the second half, when Easley hit three consecutive 3-pointers to fuel Our Savior's 14-0 run. Lucas Schmidt added 4 steals, and Jeremiah Perkins added 6 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks for Our Savior's (7-3, 3-1 CIL).
It was another McCaffrey double-double, scoring and passing the basketball has become his own form of art.
"I'm proud of our guys today," Our Savior's coach Phillip Heppe said. "It's been a trying and difficult week for us, coming off of three games since Friday and the Christmas holiday tucked in between. But we did what we had to do."
Bryce Spiller led Edwardsville (5-4, 0-2) with 23 points and big man Logan Tindale added 16.
"We got great looks," Tindale said. "We had a couple easy looks. They just didn't go down for us."
Neither team could find the basket for the first three minutes of the game, and Edwardsville went on a 7-0 run while Our Savior's went 0 of 7 from the field. Following a 6-0 Eagles run, both teams settled in and traded baskets for most of the opening first half. Edwardsville led 15-9 at the end of the 1st quarter, before Easley and McCaffrey took control for Our Savior's.
Easley scored 10 points in the first half, many of those coming off circus passes by McCaffrey. Our Savior's led 29-27 at the half.
Easley scored 30 points or more for the 4th time this season.
"Coach said go out there and be the best player in the State today," Easley said. "I like to make the game come to me. That's how I play. I like to get my teammates involved early and ease myself into the game. When it's time to win the game, I take my shots."
"I believe he's the best player in the State right now," McCaffrey said of his longtime teammate.
Edwardsville head coach Marcus Spiller seemed to agree.
"Really in the last quarter of the whole game, Easley really stepped up and made the winning plays," Spiller said. "The bottom line is Jace played at an MVP level tonight, made every big play for them. It makes a lot of problems for everyone else."
EDWARDSVILLE DEFENSE
Trinity Edwardsville is known for its tough defense and Thursday's game was no exception.
"Edwardsville was as good as advertised on defense," Heppe said. "You have to get wins a lot of different ways in this league. We played slow against one of the best defenses in the state today. Thank goodness we had two of the best players in the state on the floor for us in Jace Easley and Conor McCaffrey."
Spiller had little to say, other than "I thought for a majority of the game, the defense played well."
BIG PICTURE
Our Savior's closed the game strong, going on a 21-11 run in which Easley contributed 14 points. The game was fairly close, statistically. The Eagles shot 44% from the field while Edwardsville shot 40%. Easley's offensive output and a 14-of-18 showing at the foul line sealed the win.
UP NEXT
Edwardsville: Hosts Trinity Springfield on Monday
Our Savior's: After a week off, the Eagles host Good Shepard Pekin on Thursday January 2nd 2020.