Boys basketball: High-flying Antioch stymies Grayslake North
Teddi Wetu had an open invitation to join the Antioch dunk party early in the fourth quarter Friday night.
The Sequoit Slammers included Jack Majerowski with a pair, Jason Lee and Marshall Gehrke out of their trapping 1-3-1 half-court zone that stifled visiting Grayslake North. Now Wetu, their man of steal, was ready to hammer home an exclamation point in a 54-38 Northern Lake County Conference victory.
Unfortunately for Wetu, he nailed the back of the rim in one of the few things that went awry for Antioch.
“I was kind of upset,” Wetu smiled. “I really wanted that one.”
More important for Antioch (14-13, 10-3) was it needed this one for a shot at repeating as NLCC champs. Grayslake Central (20-9, 11-2) clinched at least a share of a repeat 56-33 over Wauconda as Chris Jaimes had 12 points.
Wetu had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and helped turn 17 turnovers by North (16-13, 8-5) into 18 points. Gehrke had 16 points and 2 assists and Lee 12 points and 7 rebounds.
The 6-foot-6 Majerowski (7 points) and Cooper Marabella caused significant disruption atop the 1-3-1. Mark Render, Zach Kavich and freshman Logan Lennon helped limit the Knights to 35 percent shooting (15-for-43) and Uros Mitrovic and Jayden Hunt to a combined 6 points.
“The first time we played them we let them get whatever they wanted,” Wetu said of Hunt getting 23 and Mitrovic 10 in the Knights’ 53-42 win a month ago. “Defensively we made some adjustments to pressure the ball and get them uncomfortable.”
Hunt, who averages 17 ppg but is battling a bad ankle, had just 1 point on 0-for-8 shooting and 4 assists. Mitrovic, who didn’t play Tuesday with the flu, had 5 on 2-for-8.
“With a kid like Hunt on the floor you’ve gotta know where he is and you could tell 100% tonight he’s not healthy,” said Antioch coach Sean Connor after his team’s fifth win in 6 games. “Playing our base D really hard gave us a chance.”
Brody Ballentine (13 points, 3-for-5 3s) and Mitrovic hit 3s for an 8-2 lead. But North had 12 turnovers as Antioch led 27-14 at halftime.
“Sean has them playing good defense right now,” said North coach Josh Feinzimer. “The looks we had the first time were hard to come by tonight.”
The Sequoits’ biggest lead was 50-26 as they celebrated their first IBCA Hall of Fame inductees in 1940s great Dale Barnstable, who played for Adolph Rupp at Kentucky, and longtime event worker Chuck Haley in the pregame. They’ll need some help to get an NLCC title share from rival Lakes at Grayslake Central on Tuesday.
“Every kid is playing their best basketball,” Wetu said. “We’re playing together with no selfishness.”