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Gofron, Antioch go on to regional final

As a high school senior basketball player's farewell month approached, Kyle Gofron never panicked.

It never dawned on Antioch's banged-up senior guard that his three-year varsity career might be over.

“I was going to come back,” said Gofron, who missed most of the season with a nagging hamstring injury.

March Madness is here, and the timing of Gofron's return to the court couldn't be better for Antioch. Led by Gofron's season- and game-high 20 points and 7 rebounds, the eighth-seeded Sequoits broke open a close game in the fourth quarter and beat No. 12 Chicago Alcott 60-48 in a Class 3A regional semifinal at Antioch on Wednesday night.

Antioch senior guard Nathan Borries added 16 points in one of his better offensive performances of the season.

“Timing is everything,” Sequoits coach Jim White said of Gofron. “It's good to have him back.”

Gofron gets one final game on his home court, as Antioch (11-15) will play No. 3 Carmel at 7 p.m. Friday for the regional championship. The winner advances to the Ridgewood sectional.

“We're hoping that a lot of that running and jumping (that Alcott did) will segue,” White said. “Alcott actually played back a little bit more on us. They pressured (Chicago Intrinsic Charter) on Monday night (in the play-in game) a lot more in the backcourt than what we saw tonight.”

Gofron's athleticism was apparent particularly in the fourth quarter, when he scored 10 points, including a three-point play and 3-pointer off inbounds plays. It was another sign that he's back to his old self.

He had surgery last summer to have a bone removed from his left foot. Before tweaking his hamstring in December, he had to go through concussion protocol after getting his head dinged in a game.

It wasn't until three weeks ago that he got back in a game. The Sequoits are 2-2 since he returned.

“I heat (the hamstring) before every practice and every game, and stretch it out,” Gofron said.

Antioch nearly had to play without another key senior, as point guard Danny Brito was getting sick before the game.

“It was one that he gutted through the day,” White said. “We didn't have him in the starting lineup initially. He didn't look good. But he stepped up. It was pretty impressive.”

Brito had 6 steals, 6 rebounds and 4 points. His coast-to-coast layup (his only field goal) late in the game helped Antioch finish the game with a 9-0 run. The Sequoits outscored the Wildcats 21-9 in the fourth after the teams were tied at 39-39 after three.

“I think the energy overall (was the difference in the fourth),” Borries said. “We started attacking the boards even more on the offensive end. We got some putbacks, and the crowd helped.”

Borries also grabbed 3 offensive rebounds and came up with 3 steals. He barely left the court.

“He probably clocked the most minutes,” White said. “He did a lot of unsung stuff.”

“I really felt the minutes at the end,” Borries said with a laugh. “I was a little gassed out there.”

Trevor Koch added 9 points, including a fourth-quarter 3-pointer, for Antioch. Logan Weber added 5 points (3-pointer), 5 rebounds and 5 steals), and Mike Kawell scored all 4 of his points in the pivotal fourth.

Alcott received 13 points from Michael Stevenson, 11 from Terrance Craft and 10 from Ramon Spires.

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