Lakes takes charge late against Antioch

Yes, it dates back to December of 2006. That's the last time, Antioch's boys basketball team registered a win over rival Lakes.

On Friday night, history repeated itself. Antioch had just 11 points at halftime at Lakes.

And then the Sequoits inserted a ninth-grader as the visiting crowd specified, "he's our freshman."

Dan Filippone fired in three 3s in the third quarter and the Lakes lead, which had been as high as 18 points, was down to 6 points.

Lakes (12-13, 5-6) had the answers for this rally, and they go by the names of Colton Jewell (a senior) and Michael Behrendt (a sophomore). Behind their efforts, the Eagles prevailed 49-38.

"Overall, we played good defense,'' Jewell said. "Antioch made a charge at us but we stayed tough. We needed to beat Antioch and keep the streak alive. It's a great feeling."

Maybe it was more important for the Eagles to end their recent 4-game losing streak.

And on back to back 3-pointers from guard Demetrius Michels, the Eagles jumped out quickly to an 8-0 lead. Antioch's Daniel Brito dented the scoreboard, but the Eagles opened a double-digit lead after the first quarter, 16-5.

"These games are always great,'' said Lakes coach Chris Snyder. "Our seniors got the stops on defense and stayed the course."

On a drive and bucket from Trevor Koch, the Sequoits pulled within 16-10.

That's when young Behrendt made his first appearance on offense. He scored on back-to-back plays, increasing the Lakes lead to double figures.

"He's a great player,'' Jewell said of Behrendt. "He's a clutch 3-point shooter. And he's a great teammate to have on the team."

On a bank shot from Jewell, the Eagles' lead looked safe at 31-13. It was late in the second quarter and Antioch looked in trouble.

That was evidently the signal for Filippone to go into his act. He drained his three 3s in the last two minutes of the first half.

"We know of him,'' Snyder said. "He used to come to our junior camps. He got Antioch going tonight."

The fourth quarter opened with a personal 5-point run by Koch. His 3-pointer cut the Lakes lead to 6 points at 34-28. The second Behrendt 3-pointer of the night helped the Eagles build the lead back up.

Jewell and Behrendt combined to score all but 4 points in the final quarter. Naturally, Behrendt looks up to his senior teammate, Jewell.

"He's been our leader out there,'' Behrendt said. "We look for him. He's a coach on the court."

Snyder knows he doesn't have to make big speeches when Antioch comes to visit.

"Energy is not an issue in this game,'' he said.

Jewell (16 points, 8 rebounds) and Behrendt (13 points) led the Eagles in scoring. Michels added 8 points.

Filippone's 11 points led Antioch, and Koch had 10.