QUINCY — The early offensive execution was no thing of beauty for the Alton Redbirds on Wednesday night.

But hot shooting from the arc proved to be a wonderful cosmetic.

The Redbird hit five of their season-high 13 treys in the first quarter and led from start to finish in a 62-45 victory over the Chatham Glenwood Titans in a boys basketball semifinal at the Quincy Class 4A Regional.

“At the beginning, we were kind of stale,” Alton coach Eric Smith said. “Just kind of stood around. We got bailed out because we shot it really well.”

The Redbirds made 13 of 27 from the arc to push their record to 16-11 and earn a title date with the host Quincy Blue Devils at 7 p.m. Friday. The Devils, who are 22-4 and ranked No. 6 in the final Class 4A state poll, have been eliminated by Alton in regional play each of the past two seasons.

 

“We knocked them out the past couple years and I know they’re going to take that personal,” Alton senior Kevin Caldwell Jr. said. “We’re going to take it personal too, and back come up here and get a win.”

With Quincy 122 miles from Alton High and 110 miles from Glenwood, the attendance at Blue Devil Gym at tip-off had yet to reach 100. Any late arrivals missed a big first quarter from Alton senior Darrell Smith, who scored all nine of his points on three 3-pointer in the first quarter.

“It was good for him, just confidence going forward,” Caldwell said of Smith. “(Chatham) probably watched film and saw that he doesn’t make a lot. But he came out and shot with confidence and knocked them down. They had to guard him after that.”

 

Caldwell and Malik Smith took the 3-point torch from Smith and combined to light up the Titans, who finished the season 19-12. Smith made 9 of 13 shots, including 5 of 8 3-pointers, and led all scorers with 22 points. Caldwell made 7 of 11 shots, including 5 of 9 from the arc, and finished with 20 points.

“Coach tells us to shoot with confidence,” Caldwell said. “When we shoot with confidence, we knock them down and it leads to wins.”

Malik Smith’s 3-pointer early in the second quarter put the Redbirds up 20-7 before the Titans knocked down four 3-pointers to trim Alton’s lead to 32-21 at halftime.

Chatham would close within four points (34-30) midway through the third quarter, but Caldwell answered with a 3 and added two more treys in a 20-second stretch in the quarter’s final minute to send the Redbirds to the fourth quarter with a 49-36 lead.

The Titans were within 49-41 when Malik Smith hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Chatham was out of comebacks. Brayden Kilby, a 6-foot-5 junior, scored 11 of his team-leading 15 points in the second half for Chatham, which got three 3-pointers and 11 points from 6-5 senior Will Hanlon.

While Alton shot 58 percent (22 of 38) from the field, the Titans converted 36 percent (16 of 45) of its shots including 8 of 24 from the arc. The Redbirds committed 10 turnvoers and the Titans had eight.

“We should count our lucky stars that they didn’t shoot it really well, because traditionally they have,” Eric Smith said of the Titans, who are 0-4 vs. Alton in the last three seasons. “They had four or five guys out there at a time that can shoot it. We did a pretty good job defensively, … For the most part, we did all right.”

Now, the Redbirds assume the role of underdog against a Quincy team desperate to end their longest postseason title drought in more than 100 years. The Devils own a state-record 59 regional titles, but are seeking their first since 2009.

The Redbirds are hoping to spoil the party.

“Not a better feeling,” Eric Smith said, “than to win the game Friday night and walk out of here with a big smile on your face.”

ALTON 62, CHATHAM GLENWOOD 45

Chatham 7 14 15 9 — 45

Alton 15 17 17 13 — 62

Chatham Glenwood (19-12) – Kilby 15, Lehnen 6, Burris 1, Bahlmann 8, Hanlon 11, Hansbrough 4. FG-16 3FG-8 FT-5.

Alton (16-11) – Caldwell 20, Clay 2, M. Smith 23, Rivers 2, D. Smith 9, Miller 4, Sanders 2. FG-22 3FG-13 FT-5.