Basketball Recap: SIUE East St. Louis Charter Victorious

On Monday, in a tight match that could have gone either way, the SIUE East St. Louis Charter Cougars made off with a 57-56 victory over the Sumner Bulldogs. The win was all the more spectacular given the Cougars' disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 592nd in Illinois, while the Bulldogs are ranked 294th in Missouri).

SIUE East St. Louis Charter got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Caleb Goodwin out in front who went 5 for 9 on his way to 11 points in addition to six steals and five rebounds. Those 11 points gave Goodwin a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Breon Johnson, who posted 12 points along with six boards and three steals.

SIUE East St. Louis Charter smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in seven consecutive games.

SIUE East St. Louis Charter is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a massive bump to their 7-10 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 64.5 points per game. As for Sumner, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost six of their last eight matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-8 record this season.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. SIUE East St. Louis Charter has already played their next game (against Confluence Prep Academy), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing. Sumner and Madison will face off at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday without much rest having both just played.