VH's second-half 'D' difference against Antioch

The Vernon Hills boys basketball team allowed 24 points in the final 12 minutes of the first half Friday at Antioch.

So it was no surprise what the topic of discussion was at halftime, with the Cougars trailing 29-25.

"We talked a lot about transition defense," Vernon Hills coach Matt McCarty said. "We were jacking up 3-pointers and that created long rebounds. They were sending guys deep and that led to layups in transition."

Vernon Hills' defense was the difference in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter. The Cougars limited Antioch to 5 points in the fourth quarter on their way to a 59-44 victory in North Suburban Prairie Division action.

"When we play defense like that, everything else comes," said junior Chris Weaver, who scored 9 points.

Vernon Hills (3-4, 2-1) received quite a boost from its bench.

Freshman guard DaVaris Daniels, who spent the last two weeks focusing on academics, contributed 12 points.

Even more important was his play on defense. At the end of the third quarter, his steal led to junior Riaz Hoveydai's layup, which gave the Cougars a 41-39 lead going into the fourth quarter.

It was Daniels' second steal in the span of about 10 seconds.

"That was a huge momentum swing for us," McCarty said.

Hoveydai committed a quick turnover in the first half and played sparingly.

"Sometimes the bench does wonders for your game," McCarty said.

In the second half, Hoveydai came through with a key 3-pointer. He was 4 of 4 from the line and finished with 9 points.

"I was a little nervous (early)," Hoveydai said. "I relaxed more in the second half."

Vernon Hills broke open a close game with a 13-2 run to start the fourth quarter. Antioch's offense sagged after senior Lamarr Pottinger picked up his fourth foul with 2:29 remaining.

"Our ball-handling goes downhill when he's on the bench," Antioch coach Michael Skinner said.

Vernon Hills senior Kenny Rideout went 5 of 11 from the line but still scored a game-high 15 points. He also had 8 rebounds and blocked 5 shots.

Antioch senior Michael Powell scored 9 of his team-high 12 points in the first half.

Antioch had success in the first half by focusing on Vernon Hills' post players, and letting the Cougars shoot from the outside.

"We sagged on (Rideout) and made him work," Skinner said. "We forced them to make (outside) shots and they did in the second half."