Antioch hoops has a rough week

By Todd Rohde~CORRESPONDENT

      It was not the best of weeks for the Antioch boys’ basketball team, as they more than had their hands full against some very tough opponents.

      The Sequoits found out first hand why the two teams that they faced this week had a combined record of 14-3 on the season, as they put on a display of what they are capable of accomplishing.

      “We ran into a storm last week against two quality opponents, as both were very difficult match-ups for us that we were never able to stay in the games,” Antioch head coach Jim White said. “We struggled with the full-court pressure that both of these teams applied as it led to several forced turnovers, as their size and athleticism was just too much for us.”

      And it wasn’t a pleasant experience for a young and learning Sequoit program, as they suffered some devastating losses in the process.  Antioch was first on the losing end of a hefty 92-37 North Suburban Conference loss at the hands of the Warhawks Dec. 4th in North Chicago.

      The loss dropped the Sequoits to 1-5 overall on the season and to 0-2 in league play for the year. The Warhawks on the other hand, who are ranked No. 4 in the State, improved to 7-1 and deservingly so.

      Antioch was truly outmatched in the contest by a much bigger and physical Warhawk team, as they took it to the Sequoits in all aspects of the game.

      They scored more points in each of the first two quarters alone, than the Sequoits were able to put down in the first and second quarters combined.

      North Chicago outscored Antioch 21-9 in the first and 26-8 in the second to take a comfortable 47-17 lead at the half. Despite being down and in a big hole, the Sequoits refused to give up and came out fighting in the second half and played hard until the final buzzer.

      The Warhawks just didn’t have an answer to contain the athleticism of juniors JaVarius Amos-Mays and Kurt Hall. The talented duo complimented one another as a duo threat by scoring 27 and 19 points respectively.

      The Sequoits limited attack on offensive was led by captain Anthony Formella with 12 points and Tyler Innis adding six more.

 

Antioch vs. Lakes

      Things weren’t any easier and the results were just as rough later in the week, as the Sequoits took on their counter rival in Lakes Area Dec. 8. The Sequoits were the recipient of falling to the Eagles (7-2) by a 64-28 margin in NSC play in Lake Villa.

      Antioch got off to a slow start and unfortunately the Eagles were right there to take advantage of it by making the Sequoits pay for their difficulties. Lakes scored the first 12 points of the contest and never looked back, as the Sequoits were stuck behind the eight ball and couldn’t get out.

      The Sequoits were limited to single digit point totals in three of the four quarters played, as they just couldn’t find their rhythm. They trailed 20-7 over the first eight minutes and then saw that deficit climb to 39-18 at halftime.

      The Eagles were sparked by the solid play of seniors Troy Swindle, Jake Kohler and Andrew Spencer. Swindle led all scorers with a game high 15 points including a pair of three pointers, as Kohler and Spencer finished with 14 and 10 points.

      Formella once again led the Sequoits with six points (two 3’s), Sam Smithson had five points and three other players contributed four points apiece.


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