Wauconda’s Keith Blomberg only had one point in the game but contributed in another way — with 3 consecutive steals starting the third quarter.
The Bulldogs responded to his timely thefts, taking a close game and turning it into one that featured a double-digit lead in their favor.
Wauconda later held off a late fourth-quarter surge to get past visiting Antioch 58-50 in a North Suburban Prairie Division game on Friday night.
Kyle Ryan led the Bulldogs with a game-high 22 points, Matt Mead added 19 and 6 rebounds and Austin Swenson chipped in with 16.
Blomberg made his impact out of the halftime break as Wauconda (9-8, 2-4) led Antioch 23-20. The added defensive pressure from Blomberg led to a 10-2 Bulldogs run that was capped by a Swenson 3-pointer with 4:22 left in the third quarter for a 33-22 Wauconda lead.
“Defense, for the last couple games, has been going well for me,” Blomberg said. “I’ve been getting quicker and I was trying to time the crossover dribble. I was just moving my feet very well. I just wanted to do well on defense.”
Wauconda held a 35-30 advantage heading into the final quarter. Antioch (4-13, 0-6) cut the lead down to 1 point three times.
Joe Gregory (9 points) dropped in a trey which had the Sequoits down 40-39 with 4:52 left. But Antioch just couldn’t get the shot needed to take the lead.
“This was a must-win for us,” said Antioch coach Jim White, whose team now has dropped five straight. “We have those droughts that get us in double-digit deficits.
“We seem to do it in every game and have to battle back, making things more difficult. We just have to cut down on our turnovers (24 for the game).”
Ryan led an Bulldogs 8-2 run with a couple of baskets and a layup to put Wauconda ahead 48-41 with 3:25 left.
It’s been a long time since Wauconda has been able to get above the .500 mark,
“Our kids are playing defense and buying into the system,” Wauconda coach Scott Luetschwager said. “We also have some kids that can score and get the ball to the rim.”
William Waschow led Antioch with a season-high 21 points and 8 rebounds.
