Filippone, Antioch advance
Emotions are usually at their peak when it comes to postseason boys basketball.
That was the case Friday night at Antioch, as the host Sequoits held off CICS/Northtown 59-52 for their third consecutive Class 3A regional title.
Antioch, the 12th seed, moves on to play in the North Chicago sectional semifinals at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Antioch (13-15) held an 8-6 advantage after the first quarter, and the game remained tight. It was 13-13 with 3:18 left in the half, when Antioch grabbed the lead for good with a 9-4 spree and 23-17 lead at intermission.
"We weren't hitting our shots and we were making a lot of turnovers in the first half," coach Jim White said after his Sequoits won their third straight playoff game of the week.
But junior guard Dan Filippone made sure the 9-of-30 field-goal shooting in the first half was a distant memory. Filippone went crazy in the third, filling it up for 15 of his game-high 25 points, including three treys.
"This is crazy. I never dreamed about something like this happening," said Filippone, who was quick to give a shout-out to his teammates. "I was just feeling the shot tonight. And I've got some great teammates. I just wanted to score as many points for the team as I could."
Antioch opened up as much as a 10-point lead (30-20) after a Filippone 3-ball with 4:13 left in the third. Northtown, which was the fourth seed in the sectional, wasn't going anywhere, as it closed the gap to 39-33 heading to the fourth.
CJ Casey was hot as well from the perimeter, hitting for 8 of his team-high 15 points in the fourth to help draw Northtown get within 49-48 with 2:35 left in regulation.
"We went zone to try and get more bodies to No. 15 (Casey)," White said.
But the Sequoits did what they needed to down the stretch.
"(Andrew) Hare won that jump ball at the end (a rebound) and we made our free throws," White said. "We also kept our heads and got some big stops on defense (in the second half)."
Antioch senior guard John Petty popped in two foul shots to up the advantage to 51-48 with 2:34 left. That started a stretch that featured Antioch converting 10-of-14 free throws to keep Northtown at bay until the final horn sounded.
"I'm not playing at the next level, so I wanted to make sure this wasn't my last game," said Antioch senior guard Branden Gallimore, who hit for 3 of 4 foul shots in the fourth.
Gallimore ended with 9 points and crashed the boards for 12 rebounds.
"My teammates really pick me up and show a lot of faith in me," Gallimore said. "If we continue to keep our poise, hopefully we'll get past Tuesday."
Tuesday will indeed carry on more significance because the Sequoits will be hoping to avoid a third consecutive sectional semifinal loss.
"That's what it's all about," White said. "Getting farther than we did the last two years."