Clutch performances from Blue Devils’ supporting cast lead to sectional semifinal victory

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — Reid O’Brien dared the Collinsville boys basketball team to do it again.

“If you leave me open, I’m going to make it,” he said with a smirk and a shrug.

The Kahoks left him wide open twice.

The Quincy High School junior guard made them both times.

Tied at 17 at halftime of Tuesday night’s Class 4A Collinsville Sectional semifinal at Vergil Fletcher Gym, O’Brien knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key to start the second half. Three minutes later, when the Kahoks doubled-teamed Jeremiah Talton on the block yet again. O’Brien sank another trey from the right wing in front of the QHS bench.

On a night when the two leading scorers went a combined 5 of 18 from the field, the Blue Devils had to find production in other ways.

The supporting cast thrived in that role.

O’Brien’s 3-pointers, freshman forward Keshaun Thomas’ eight points in the post and Ralph Wires’ game-winning layup as time expired in regulation were critical reasons the Blue Devils survived with a 34-32 victory to earn a spot opposite Normal Community in Friday’s sectional championship game.

“We’ve been doing this all year,” O’Brien said after QHS ended Collinsville’s 18-game winning streak and avenged a 49-34 loss in the third-place game of the Collinsville Prairie Farms Holiday Classic in the same gym. “I would say I’m surprised, but I’m not.

“I have the most confidence in every one of our guys to make good plays in clutch situations.”

That confidence is shared throughout that locker room.

“You can take two guys away all you want,” Quincy coach Andy Douglas said. “We have other guys who can step up. We’ve talked all year about how when you get in games against good competition like this every possession matters. While it wasn’t clean all game long, when we needed to make plays, they came up clutch.”

With Talton and Bradley Longcor III stymied — they came in averaging 32.7 points combined but were held to just 14 points — others took center stage.

It started in the first half. Thomas scored six points in the first quarter, including hitting a fadeaway shot off one foot at the buzzer for a 12-10 Quincy lead.

“It took hard work,” Thomas said. “Without being tough, they were going to keep the lead. Just like in the Collinsville tournament when they blew us out, we couldn’t climb back because they kept fighting harder than us. Tonight, we fought harder and did exactly what we needed to get the win.”

That included taking advantage of the opportunities the way O’Brien did.

“I’ve always been confident in my shot,” said O’Brien, who finished with eight points. “I knew I could make them.”