Helmich, Grant prevail at Antioch
On a night when Antioch inducted three former athletes into its Hall of Fame, Grant's Jared Helmich had a career night of his own.
Helmich dropped in 29 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as Grant's boys basketball team raced past host Antioch 78-59 in a North Suburban Prairie Division game Friday.
"My teammates helped me out so much and hit me while I was open," Helmich said. "They hit me on the back picks and I drove to the basket.
"The other guys drive and the defense crashes on them, which leaves other guys open on the wing."
Helmich set the tone, and the rest of the Bulldogs (8-5, 2-2) followed suit, knocking down 13 points in the opening quarter, including a 3-pointer before the buzzer to give Grant a 21-13 lead.
A dunk by Jerry Gaylor (19 points) keyed an 11-4 Grant run and extended the lead to 32-17 with about five minutes left second quarter.
Antioch (3-10, 0-4) answered with 7 unanswered points. The spurt was capped by a layup by Sam Green (8 points) and the Sequoits trailed 32-24 with 2:25 remaining.
The Bulldogs regained their composure and closed the half on an 8-2 run as Allen Lewis (12 points) nailed a short jumper for a 40-26 lead at the break.
"All of our boys came out hard," Grant coach Wayne Bosworth said. "We made a big step in putting together a continuous effort throughout the game.
"Antioch cut it to 8. Our guys showed the heart and intensity. That's what we've got to show and figure out how to win so we can knock off some teams."
Grant continued rolling into the second half. The Bulldogs extended the lead to 55-32 and coasted the rest of the way.
Mike Siperko led Antioch with 16 points, William Waschow added 11 off the bench along with Karl Nettgen.
"Our guys have a comfort zone and have no worse than they can do," said Antioch coach Michael Skinner, whose team scored 27 points in the final quarter. "For some of them it's OK to play that way.
"Our guys pick and choose when they want to play."
Denise Maple (1986 graduate), Chrissy Hammer Pedersen (1995) and Dee Maras (1981) were the three Antioch athletes headed for the school's athletic hall of fame.