OAKLEY, CA - Freedom outscored Antioch by 14 points in the third quarter, with eight of those points by junior guard Trevon O’ Neal, who finished the game with a team-high 15 points, to help lead Freedom to a 75-61 Bay Valley Athletic League victory over Antioch.
Freedom (10-7, 2-0) had a 50-40 lead entering the fourth quarter, lead by great defensive intensity and hustle by the Falcons starters, particularly senior Jabbar Wade and O’Neal, as the Falcons overcame a halftime deficit.
In the fourth quarter, Freedom did a great job getting key stops and getting out in transition, including three blocks in the quarter by senior center Jaden Shyne, who finished with 12 points, and great plays on both ends of the floor by O’Neal to help seal the deal for the Falcons and give them their second win in league play.
“We were successful in the second half, and particularly the third quarter, because our guys executed the game plan,” said Freedom head coach Drew Torres.
Antioch (10-8, 1-1) started fast in the first quarter, including great finishes from senior Henry Sires, who finished the game with 17 points, to help lead the Panthers an early 20-10 lead heading into the second quarter. The Panthers were without key starter Solomon Bland, who has been a consistent scorer over the past 10 games. Eric Donaldson led Antioch with a game-high 23 points.
Freedom bounced back in the second quarter, led by Wade, who finished well inside and helped get his other teammates involved, finishing the game with 10 points and good defense, to help cut Antioch lead to 33-29 entering halftime.
“We had some mental lapses in the first half, but made the corrections at halftime,” added Torres.
Freedom will look to continue their two game BVAL win-streak Tuesday as they will travel to play Pittsburg (8-10, 1-1) at 7 PM.
Antioch will look to bounce back Tuesday as they will host Deer Valley (9-8, 0-2) at 7PM.
