St. Patrick stops Antioch's postseason run
Fortunate enough to have won a regional championship on his home court as a senior for Warren in 1997, Antioch coach Jim White knows it's those kind of memories that endure.
"It's stuff you don't forget," he said.
White wrote the word "Legacy" on his team's whiteboard before the Sequoits' own regional final against Carmel last Friday night and then celebrated with his players and staff afterward.
Antioch's exuberance hadn't waned by the time the eighth-seeded Sequoits played No. 2 St. Patrick in Wednesday night's Class 3A Ridgewood sectional semifinal in Norridge. After a sluggish start, however, St. Patrick recovered and pulled away, capturing a 66-52 decision.
Antioch, which had won six of its last nine games in earning its first regional title since 1998, finishes 12-16.
"Tonight, we were hoping to build to (the legacy)," White said. "I said to (the players), 'Even though we didn't come out with the win, I still feel like we did, in terms of just playing respectful basketball and playing the way we can play."
St. Patrick improved to 16-14 and will face No. 4 Ridgewood on the Rebels' home floor for the sectional championship at 7 p.m. Friday. The Shamrocks sank nine 3-pointers and made 19 of 27 free throws in ending Antioch's surprising postseason ride.
"They're a good team," White said. "We knew they could knock down shots and get to the basket, but we knew we could do it too and make some runs, as well."
Kyle Gofron scored 8 of his game-high 16 points in the opening quarter, and Danny Brito's drive late in the opening quarter had Antioch up 14-6. But even though St. Patrick responded with a 13-0 run, interrupted finally by Gofron's jumper midway through the second quarter, Antioch trailed only 25-21 at halftime.
"We just came out and played our game," Gofron said. "We could have won. That was a good team. I'll give it to them. They played well."
St. Patrick heated up for good after halftime, sinking five 3s in the third quarter. Jonathan Hamilton's buzzer-beating shot from beyond the arc, coupled with 2 free throws by Laurence Merritt after a technical foul called on Antioch, had the Shamrocks up 52-32 after three.
"They did move the ball well," Gofron said. "I guess we lost a few people on defense. They just got open shots and made them."
St. Patrick kept the Sequoits at bay in the fourth by going 12 of 18 from the line. All five of the Shamrocks' starters scored in double figures, as Hamilton and Keishun Thomas each had 14 points. Sean Ek and Merritt scored 12 each, and Jalen Nelson finished with 10.
"Nobody is young at this point of the season, but we play only two seniors (Ek and Duilio Paccagnini)," St. Patrick coach Mike Bailey said. "So being in an atmosphere like this, we weren't as aggressive. We weren't as intense as we normally are. Once we got into the flow of the game, we got a feel for things. The same thing happened to us last Friday night against Wauconda (in the regional final), too."
Seniors Gofron, Brito (14) and Trevor Koch (14) combined to score 44 of the Sequoits' points. Freshman Dan Filippone had the team's other 8 points (two 3-pointers). Logan Weber had 11 rebounds and 3 steals for Antioch.
"They're just gamers that aren't afraid of a thing," White said of Gofron, Koch and Brito. "The scoreboard almost is secondary to them the way they play. They could be up 20, down 20. They're just horses and get after it the right way."