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Filippone leads Antioch past Round Lake

Saturday's Northern Lake County Conference boys basketball matinee pitted host Antioch with 7 wins against Round Lake with none.

That didn't stop either team from entertaining. Round Lake featured senior forward Lucas Hollingsworth, while Antioch answered back with junior guard Dan Filippone, whose effort helped the Sequoits win 69-54.

Hollingsworth was a terror inside, finishing with a game-high 28 points.

"Lucas brought out his biggest game today," Round Lake assistant coach Bob Anderson said. "He's really tough. And he plays tough."

Antioch coach Jim White was well aware what Hollingsworth, a three-sport athlete, could do on a basketball court.

"He's been doing it all year long," White said.

Filippone finished with 27 points, as Antioch improved to 8-7 and 2-2 in the NLCC, while dropping Round Lake to 0-16 and 0-6.

"I've always been able to put the ball in the basket," said Filippone, who's been on varsity since his freshman year. "But I want to help this team win."

Antioch's win was not a breeze. The Sequoits opened a few double-digit leads, only to watch the Panthers crawl closer.

White recalled how his team handled the Panthers 57-28 when the teams played a Hoops for Healing tournament game at Woodstock in November. Round Lake had a 5-2 lead Saturday, and a drive by Hollingsworth had the Panthers within 15-14 early in the second quarter.

On a rebound bucket from Jack Gillespie (9 points, 8 rebounds), the Antioch advantage reached double figures, 21-11, late in the second quarter. A 4-point run by Round Lake's Alex Larson sliced Antioch's lead to 32-22 by halftime.

"Sometimes we get a little overconfident," Filippone said. "We have to try to remember it's 0-0. We came out with energy, but we have to keep our foot on the pedal."

With Hollingsworth doing his job inside, Round Lake was within five points early in the third quarter. That's when Filippone switched gears. He scored 11 straight points that included two drives to the hoop, 4-of-4 shooting from the stripe and a 3-pointer. His last score swelled the Antioch lead to 46-28.

"He's a great captain for us," White said of Filippone. "He's one of few kids who is a basketball player, first."

Round Lake point guard Musiq Brantley beat the third-quarter buzzer with a 3-pointer, cutting the Panthers' deficit to 48-38. Chris Pierre (10 points) got Round Lake within single digits, but Antioch answered with two 3-pointers from reserve Austin Andrews.

"We are not a deep team," Anderson said. "And we still need better communication."

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