After starting off the season with a record of 1-4, OHS boy’s basketball headed into the Collinsville Holiday tournament hoping for a few wins. However their hopes were quickly thrashed as they ended the tournament winless, to put their overall record at 1-8.

OHS began the tournament against the number one seeded East St. Louis. The game quickly escalated out of reach as OHS fell to a 28 point deficit after just the first quarter. From there, OHS played an even game against the Flyers, outscoring them in the second and third quarters. However their efforts weren’t enough as they lost 74-49.

“East St. Louis was one of the toughest teams we’ve played all season long,” head coach Nick Traxler said. “Their three division one players made the game a quality learning experience for us. After the first quarter, we played very well.”

The Tigers followed the East St. Louis game with another twenty plus point loss to Plainfield South, losing 68-40. OHS turned the ball over twenty times in that game, a problem Traxler sees as the only reason the Tigers took the loss.

In the final game of the tournament, OHS lost a well played game to Dunlap 55-49. The Tigers had opportunities in the second half to pull ahead, but they made critical mistakes that cost them the game.

Despite their losing efforts, Austin Gillmann (10) averaged 12.7 points and 8 rebounds per game throughout the tournament. Also, Ervin Sarajalic (10) was a solid contributor, averaging 10.7 points, 3 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game. Carvon Robinson (9) emerged as a freshman and averaged 4 points per game.

Overall, Traxler believes this was a great experience for his team, and although they lost all three games, the competition they played against will ultimately help his team mature quicker.

“All those tough teams we played over in Illinois will really prepare us for our district tournament,” Traxler said.