COLLINSVILLE - Senior guard Adrian Elliott, Jr. has become one of the key players for a very young and hard-working Alton High School boys basketball team. He helps set an example for the younger players on the team with his work ethic, and going into the Prairie Farms Collinsville Holiday Classic, is the leading scorer for the Redbirds, averaging 11 points per game. He's also averaging 4.8 rebounds per game to go along with 13 assists, 10 steals, and a blocked shot.
For his contributions to the Redbirds both on and off the court, Elliott is the Riverbender.com Auto Butler male Athlete of the Month.
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Elliott, who plays for head coach Eric McCrary, felt that the Redbirds kept playing hard and didn't give up in an opening-round loss to Lincoln 35-17 of the Collinsville Classic, a game where Alton got various great looks during the game, but the shots wouldn't drop.
"I'm feeling good," Elliott said during a postgame interview. "I feel like our shots just didn't fall at all, but overall, we played well. Usually, we have a lot of turnovers, but this game, we didn't. We played really good on the defensive end, but on offense, our shots just weren't falling."
Holding a team such as the Railsplitters to 35 points was a solid defensive effort for the Redbirds, and Elliott agreed that there wasn't anything to be ashamed about in the team's effort.
"We played really well," Elliott said. "As I said, it's in the past now, and tomorrow, we've just got to wash that away and just play better. Hopefully. we'll just get us a win."
The team's spirits are still up, and the Redbirds work very hard in practice, which Elliott feels is a very good sign.
"Everything's going well in practice," Elliott said. "In practice, we just get after each other. It's a lot of intensity, stuff like that. We're just working hard, trying to get better."
And after the tournament, there are plenty of games coming in January and February, particularly in the Southwestern Conference, and Elliott, along with opportunities to do well in the tournament itself.
"Well, I feel like, honestly, as I said, at the beginning of the year, we've just got a lot of young guys," Elliott said, "a lot of inexperienced players, even myself. I feel like towards the end of the season, we'll get a lot better than we are now."
Elliott does feel it's a matter of time before the Redbirds turn the corner.
"Yeah, it's just a matter of time," Elliott said. "We have to play better tomorrow and wait for our time."
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 very proud of. Please join us in congratulating this young athlete. We at Riverbender.com wish you continued success in your future!
