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Full participation as Antioch tops Lake Forest Academy

Reality didn't slap Amy Reiser until she boarded Antioch's team bus. For the second time in one night, she was hit hard.

She and her twin/fellow hoops star, Ashley, had been in a car accident Monday night. After miraculously walking away barely scathed, Amy got picked up at her dad's chiropractor office - Ashley stayed behind - and the team bus continued on its way to Vernon Hills for the Sequoits' season opener.

"I didn't start crying until (getting on the bus)," Amy said.

More amazing than the fact she played a basketball game that night, just hours after her car accident, was how well she played. And that strong play continued Thursday night, as Antioch beat Lake Forest Academy 54-44 to equal its Vernon Hills tournament record at 1-1.

After scoring 20 points in the Sequoits' overtime loss to Sycamore on Monday night, Amy burned LFA (0-2) for 19 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks.

"I think I'm pretty good with putting it in the back of my mind," Amy said. "I don't think of it while I'm playing basketball, either."

Ashley Reiser added 16 points and 4 assists. The senior had been too emotionally upset and too banged up physically to play Monday night.

Her coach was emotionally shaken up too.

"That's the first time in 97 games I didn't have her on the floor," said Antioch coach Tim Borries, who's entrusted Ashley to run his team's offense since her freshman year. "Given the fact that three days ago she sat out bumped and bruised, I thought she did great (Thursday night). You got to understand. Everyone else had (played a game). This was her first game. It's a new offense, it's a new defense, and it's game speed."

With longtime boys basketball coach Tim Bowen new to his staff, Borries has tweaked his team's style at both ends of the floor. Instead of trying to fastbreak most of the time, the Sequoits are running more half-court sets and trying to be more patient and smart with the ball.

"We'll still look for early transition," Borries said.

"It's very different," Amy Reiser said of the offense. "The more we run it, the more we get used to it, the more we start seeing the open player and start knowing when we need to cut."

Defensiwvely, the Sequoits aren't looking to press full-court as much.

"He wants you to earn your points," Borries said of Bowen. "He doesn't want you to have a free layup. The girls are adjusting."

"I like the defense," Amy Reiser said. "I think it's working so far. I like the trapping. When I play man to man, I always do help side, and sometimes I end up losing my girl."

As long as they have the Reiser twins on the court, no matter what they're running offensively and defensively, the Sequoits won't be losing a lot.

They led LFA 14-8 after one quarter and 27-16 at halftime, and were up 44-28 late in the third before the Caxys closed the quarter with an 8-0 run. LFA never got closer than eight the rest of the way.

LFA sophomore Ramatoulaye Keita posted game highs of 24 points and 15 rebounds.

Erika Gallimore added 9 points and 13 rebounds for Antioch.

The tournament resumes Saturday with the starting times having been adjusted. Vernon Hills will play Sycamore at 10 a.m., followed by Lake Forest Academy against Elk Grove at 11:30 a.m. and Lake Forest vs. Antioch at 1 p.m.

  Antioch's Amy Reiser (5) takes a shot over Lake Forest Academy's Courtney Harris during tournament play at Vernon Hills on Thursday. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Antioch's Ashley Reiser, left, looks to pass under pressure from Lake Forest Academy's Joan Kastrom and Aleeya Sawyer (30) during tournament play at Vernon Hills on Thursday. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Antioch's Ashley Reiser (12) takes a shot against Lake Forest Academy during tournament play at Vernon Hills on Thursday. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Antioch's Erika Gallimore (10) guards Lake Forest Academy's Kelsi Jackson (12) during tournament play at Vernon Hills on Thursday. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
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