EDWARDSVILLE -- The Belleville sweep is complete.
The state’s top-ranked Edwardsville Tigers drilled Belleville West 64-21 inside Lucco-Jackson Gymnasium on Thursday.
The Tigers, who topped Belleville East 61-25 on Tuesday, went 4-0 this season against the two Southwestern Conference schools from Belleville.
“We played pretty well together. It was an all-around good win,” EHS guard Lauren Taplin said.
On Thursday against the Maroons, the Tigers picked up 16 points and six assists from Kate Martin and 13 points from Jaylen Townsend.
Edwardsville, ranked 13th in the country by USA Today, is now 21-0, including 10-0 in the SWC.
The Tigers have won 88 straight games at home, dating back to a loss to Belleville Althoff on Feb. 6, 2010, and 37 straight inside the conference.
Belleville West falls to 5-16. The Maroons are 2-6.
Playing without forward Rachel Pranger, who was not available Thursday, the EHS offense didn’t miss a step.
“Everyone is fighting for a spot and wants to step up. It’s good to have a bench that wants to step up,” Taplin said.
The Tigers used a 14-4 run, making six of eight shots, to open a 15-6 lead after eight minutes.
Belleville West, which turned the ball over 13 times in the first half and 27 for the game, missed two of its last 11 shots in the half, and Edwardsville took advantage.
EHS went on a 9-0 run, started by a 3-pointer from Townsend and a basket inside by Morgan Hulme, to take a 28-10 lead with 1:58 left in the half.
“We worked the ball and didn’t force too much. Belleville West is quick and athletic, and they can speed you up a bit. After the first quarter, I thought we adjusted to the zone and found some kids,” EHS coach Lori Blade said.
The Tigers led 28-13 at halftime.
After spending the first half finding open teammates, Martin started the second half with a pair of 3-pointers to extend the lead to 34-13.
“She made some really nice passes in the first half when she could have had the points. She’s very unselfish and understands the game,” Blade said. “I thought Kate started off the third quarter really well.”
Martin’s treys started a 16-0 run, fueled by four Belleville West turnovers.
Martin scored in transition to make it 44-13 with 4:09 to go in the third.
Townsend finished off the third with a 5-0 run of her own, making it 48-15.
“She shot the ball really well today, and she passed it well,” Blade said of Townsend. “She just has to commit to the defense a little bit more. She’s headed in the right direction, which is good to see.”
The bench got to work in the fourth quarter.
Lauren Taplin and Madelyn Stephen each hit shots in the lane, and Rachel Vinyard followed with a 3-pointer to push the lead to 62-17.
Sydney Kolnsberg capped the scoring with a bucket in the paint to make it 64-21.
“The kids work hard, just like all the other kids in the program. Some of those kids got some minutes tonight,” Blade said.
One of those players is guard Megan Silvey, who has seen an increase in playing time the past couple of games.
“My job is mostly on defense. I just need to stop the penetrators and help the team out,” Silvey said.
Silvey, though, doesn’t mind taking a shot if she’s open. She had four points against West.
“It helps when I get good passes. It’s easier to get the shots off,” Silvey said.
Edwardsville shot 54 percent (28 of 52) from the field.
“We were a lot more patient on offense than we’ve been lately, and we were able to get some pretty good looks,” Taplin said.
Along with Martin and Townsend, EHS picked up eight points apiece from Quierra Love and Myriah Noodel-Haywood. Hulme had six points.
Belleville West shot 17 percent (6 of 35) from the field.
“Our defense was pretty good. We have some more work to do, but overall we did pretty well,” Taplin said.
Brittany Walker led the Maroons with nine points.
The Tigers complete a two-game homestand when it hosts Granite City at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Edwardsville wraps up the regular season with a road game against East St. Louis on Feb. 1, home game against O’Fallon for Senior Night on Feb. 6 and a road game against Alton on Feb. 8.