ALTON — Roxana secured a 51-42 victory over Marquette Catholic on Tuesday in a game that resembled a regional championship, played before a loud, packed crowd at Marquette’s gym.
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Both teams started the contest slowly, missing several shots and relying on strong defense to keep the score low. Roxana held a 9-5 lead after the first quarter.
The second quarter saw an increase in offensive production, with both teams finding their rhythm. Roxana maintained a narrow 34-31 advantage at halftime.
Marquette responded in the third quarter by limiting Roxana to 11 points. Chase Jones contributed two three-pointers to help Marquette close the gap, trailing 45-42 going into the final quarter.
“It’s been a long time since we came to Marquette and won in this gym. This was like a regional atmosphere and I thought we out-toughed them tonight and we had the hustle plays,” Roxana coach Mark Briggs said.
In the fourth quarter, Roxana outscored Marquette 17-11, stifling Marquette’s efforts to rally. A key moment came when Keelan Crawford hit a three-pointer with just minutes remaining. Briggs described Crawford as “the sniper,” noting that opponents often focus on other Roxana players, allowing Crawford to make critical shots.
“Crawford is what I call the sniper. He’s the guy that when everyone is focused on Maberry, Stemm and Dugan, people lose Crawford and he will hit big shots like that all year long. That was a huge momentum shot in the game,” Briggs said.
Roxana was led by Aidan Stemm with 19 points and Cohen Dugan with 13 points. Marquette’s top performers were Chase Jones with 15 points and Cameron Golike with 10 points.
