Antioch gets stuck against Round Lake
Antioch's first 2 shots from the floor Saturday got stuck between the backboard and rim.
It's something that rarely happens, let alone twice in one game.
"(I've seen it happen) twice in 29 years," Round Lake coach Gary Edge said.
Antioch's shooting luck didn't change much the rest of the game Saturday. And Round Lake's defense deserved some credit.
The Panthers won 50-33, limiting the Sequoits to just 3 foul shots in the first quarter.
Round Lake improved to 15-2 overall, while staying perfect in the North Suburban Conference Prairie Division at 7-0.
The visitors led 12-3 after one quarter and were up 27-7 at halftime.
"I thought we played well in the first half, but we got a little lackadaisical in the second half," Edge said. "(Antioch) is a pretty decent ballclub. We have to do a better job moving our feet defensively, and we have to do a better job rebounding, but overall I'm pretty happy.'
Antioch (8-9, 3-4) trailed by as many as 20 points but came back in the fourth quarter, outscoring Round Lake 12-9.
"They kept pressing us toward the end," Edge said. "I'm sure they wanted to up the tempo, but they really never did close the game down."
Round Lake defeated Antioch 49-35 when the teams met Dec. 6.
"It was a repeat of the last time we played them," Sequoits coach Tim Borries said. "They came out and hit some shots, we didn't shoot the ball very well and the score was the outcome of the first quarter. We also missed a few layups in the first quarter. But when you're not on, you're not on, and we weren't on today."
Round Lake guard Labrenthia Murdock led all scorers with 21 points and dished out 8 assists.
"I thought we came out and played hard right from the beginning and we transitioned well," Murdock said. "We went over the plays in practice and I just ran the plays, and that's how they worked. You have to get a shot every time."
Ashley Miller added 12 points for Round Lake. Amber Phillips and Chanee Brown chipped in 6 apiece.
Brittany Deem and Allie Anttila each had 11 points and 6 rebounds for Antioch. Deem also had 7 steals.
"We started out a little slow," Deem said. "We went out there in the second half and the job was to get up from our 20-point (deficit). We fought hard."
- Irving Solomon
Lake Zurich 73, Zion-Benton 46: Less than 24 hours after surrendering 92 points in a loss to South Bend (Ind.) Washington in the McDonald's Shootout at Willowbrook, the Bears bounced back in North Suburban Lake Division action.
Olivia Allen scored 26 points for visiting Lake Zurich (16-4, 7-1). Lydia Bauer and Audrey Bauer added 16 and 14, respectively.
Wauconda 35, Grant 28: Lauren Mead was the only player in double figures with 12 points, as the host Bulldogs won the North Suburban Prairie Division battle.
Kate Martino added 7 points for Wauconda (15-2, 7-1), which led 21-7 at halftime before seeing its lead cut to 28-25 entering the fourth quarter.
Grant (12-8, 4-4) received 8 points from Gina Cellucci, who hit a pair of 3-pointers.
Stevenson 55, Vernon Hills 35: The Patriots won their season-high third straight game, as Michelle O'Brien scored a game-high 16 points.
Kayla Fisher and Anna Morrissey added 13 and 10 points, respectively, for Stevenson (9-10) in the North Suburban crossover, while Courtney Graber chipped in 9.
"We defended a lot better," Patriots coach Trish Betthauser said. "We moved the ball well and executed well. We got good shots."
Vernon Hills (9-12), which suffered its fourth loss in a row, got 10 points and 5 rebounds from Jessica Schwartz. Alana Coy had 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and steals.
Sandburg 47, Buffalo Grove 39: Sophomore Andrea DiPrima (16 points, three 3-pointers) and junior Heather Nisbet (11 points, three 3-pointers) were top scorers for the Bison (7-15) in the McDonald's Shootout at Willowbrook High School.