The Whiteface Antelopes hosted the Sundown Roughnecks for a district basketball matchup with massive playoff implications this past Tuesday night, and the Roughnecks came away with a 55-51 win.
The Roughnecks controlled the game from start to finish and were able to with stand a late push from the Antelopes, who cut the lead down to three in the fourth quarter.
“This district is absolutely brutal. It has so much depth,” Roughnecks Head Basketball Kyle Igo said. “Any team can beat anybody on any given night. I’m so proud of our kids’ efforts. We had a great start. In the second half we had a little lull where we weren’t executing, but a tribute to the guys for finding a way to steady the ship and execute down the stretch.”
The win improves the Roughnecks to 15-12 overall and 5-5 in district play, which ties them for third in the 2A District 5 standings with Seagraves. The result was so significant because it gave the Roughnecks the upper hand on Morton and Whiteface in the playoff chase.
It was powered by a suffocating defensive effort that prevented Whiteface from entering into any offensive rhythm for the entirety of the game, which was complimented by several great offensive performances.
Scorers for the Roughnecks included Kye Powell with 16 points behind 3/3 free throws made, Nathan McAdams with 12 points, Brock Bufe with nine points, Josh Hogan with six points, Isaiah Igo and Athan Peralez both with five points, and Coen Nevarez with two points.
Meanwhile on the Antelopes side of things, scorers included Isaak Soliz with 18 points, Ivaniel Gandara with 14 points behind two three-pointers made, Cesar Chavez with 11 points and Victor Borunda with eight points.
The Antelopes played great defense in the game, but their offensive and rebounding shortcomings were the ultimate difference in the loss.
“This was almost a must win game, and I felt pretty good going into it,” Antelopes Head Basketball Coach Brandon Flores said.
“But Sundown, they did a good job, credit to those guys. Ultimately, turnovers just killed us. We didn’t take care of the ball, and when you don’t take care of the ball and you don’t rebound, you don’t win ball games.”
The loss drops the Antelopes to 11-13 overall and 4-7 in district play, which puts them sixth in the 2A District 5 standings. It’s a crushing result as it puts their playoff chances slim to none as their only way in now involves winning out and several unlikely results falling in their favor.
Following the game, both teams are back in action over the weekend, with the Roughnecks at Seagraves and the Antelopes hosting Morton.