Hollywood finish favors Balliu, Lakes

They've talked about it. A lot. One year, Antioch boys basketball coach Jim White and his players even got together for pasta and a "movie," watching a tape of the Sequoits' 94-88, triple-overtime win at Lakes on Dec. 16, 2006.

The Sequoits probably won't request a copy of Friday night's North Suburban Prairie Division game.

Seeking to beat its District 117 rival for the first time since that memorable winter night eight years ago, host Antioch led by 14 points with two minutes gone in the second half.

But then the Eagles' Benett Haviland started stroking 3-pointers. Jake Balliu sank a pair of clutch free throws down the stretch, and when Antioch missed a couple of desperation three-point tries in the final seconds, Lakes had stunned the Sequoits 45-42.

Lakes' players and several student fans stormed the court.

"I had butterflies going in, especially since it was Antioch and it was a big game," said Balliu, who had missed the Eagles' last eight games due to a sprained ankle. "I knew it was the last time I was going to play here. We had to go out and get the victory. We didn't start the way we wanted to, but as the second half wore on, we did what we had to do and got the win."

In Antioch's locker room, one senior Sequoit was too dejected to talk.

"The kids show up for this occasion," said White, who was a first-year assistant coach at Antioch during the 2006-07 season. "The moment wasn't too big. It's just painful when it slips through like that because we want them to feel the satisfaction of (winning) some of these. It's been too long of a run.

"We've played with (Lakes) before, too," White added, "even when - maybe on the roster - they were much better than us."

Haviland scored a game-high 20 points (four 3-pointers), tying his season best, to pace Lakes (9-9, 5-1), which stretched its season-best winning streak to four games.

"Ben stays after practice every day and shoots, works on his game," Balliu said. "He's a great player for us. I've been playing basketball with him since a young age. At practice today he had the hot hand, and he came out and showed everybody tonight."

Taking advantage of the height and muscle of 6-foot-2 Weston Fox (7 points, 10 rebounds), 6-2 Jason Mrkonich (10 points, 5 rebounds) and 6-4 Matt Powers (5 points, 7 boards), Antioch (7-8, 2-4) dominated inside early. The Sequoits were up 27-19 at halftime and 33-19 after Mrkonich's pump and drive with 6:11 left in the third quarter.

"I was just thinking we got to hold the lead, stop them on defense and don't let them score," said Antioch junior Kyle Gofron, who scored 11 of his team-high 15 points in the first half and also grabbed 5 rebounds on his 17th birthday. "They hit a bunch of 3s on us. That wasn't too good, and then we just couldn't pull through at the end."

Haviland started the Lakes comeback by hitting back-to-back 3s. Then Balliu fed Colton Jewell for a bucket and Haviland knocked down another shot from beyond the arc to cap an 11-0 run.

"They trusted me," Haviland said of his teammates. "They found me the ball, they got me open and they were just like, 'Shoot the ball.' "

A putback by Jewell (6 points, 3 rebounds) had Lakes within 35-32 after three.

Lakes held Antioch to 15 second-half points. The Sequoits shot just 4 of 14 from the floor in the third quarter and 2 of 11 in the fourth, while also turning the ball over five times in the final quarter.

"They're probably one of the more tenacious defensive teams that we've seen," White said of the Eagles. "We couldn't get much going (offensively). It's one of those things where sometimes just a little bump takes us out of our rhythm."

Antioch still led 41-36 midway through the fourth, but then Haviland delivered again, as his fourth 3-pointer started a 7-0 run that put Lakes up 43-41. After Gofron split two free throws with 26 seconds left, Balliu sank both ends of a one-and-one to make it a three-point game with 18.4 on the clock.

Balliu, who did not start, had yet to score in the game. Which meant he had not scored a point, period, in more than a month.

"That's what you dream of - game on the line, ball in your hand," Balliu said.

Lakes won despite Ethan Sage being held to a season-low 4 points, although the senior forward did grab 8 rebounds.

"Our coach reminds us every time we play Antioch that we haven't lost to them in a long time," Haviland said. "He says, 'Don't be the team that loses.' "

Once again, Lakes didn't disappoint.