Spartans Find Meteors Are a Tall Order

The Oak Lawn Spartans kept it close for much of Tuesday night’s game, but too many missed opportunities on their end and second-chance — and occasionally third-chance — points by the T.F. North Meteors ended up sinking the Spartans in a 45-40 home loss.

“I thought our guys were competitive,” Spartans coach Scott Atkins said. “I thought our players executed very well tonight, but that’s basketball for you.” 

The Spartans (7-7, 2-4) struggled against the taller Meteors (8-3, 5-0) for much of the night. The Meteors, after being down 8-2 early, used their size to their advantage on the glass and went on a 12-2 run from midway in the first to early in the second quarter. Forward Montero Rice set the tone for the Meteors with 11 first-half points. 

Forward Anthony Johnson kept Oak Lawn within striking distance with nine first-half points, but the Spartans’ missed layups and struggles against the much bigger Meteors on defense left them trailing 26-19 at the half.

“Sometimes it’s a matter of physics,” Atkins said. “You can box out all you want, but if the guy you’re guarding is three inches taller and the ball bounces a certain way, there’s not a whole lot you can do.” 

The two sides played to a near standstill on defense in the third quarter, scoring a combined total of 12 points. The Meteors had struggled at times with the Spartans’ 2-3 zone defense in the first half, and the same turned out to be true for the Spartans when the Meteors utilized that defense in the second half. Neither side could penetrate through the thick wall, apart from a couple of mistakes on both sides. 

The fourth quarter, mainly at the end, was decided at the free-throw line. With the Spartans down 37-32 with 1:10 remaining, Johnson used his aggressive play to his advantage and sank four straight free throws in 11 seconds to cut the lead to 37-36. 

After Meteors senior Jamal Redmond missed the back end of a one-and-one on the ensuing possession, Johnson again drove down the lane, trying to draw a foul on a layup. He missed the shot and did not get any call. 

The Meteors rebounded, and Rice, who finished with 19 points, sank a pair of free throws and a layup on the next two possessions. Senior Deandre Lowery finished it off with four straight free throws after to ice the game. He finished with eight points and four rebounds. 

Johnson finished with 14 points and four rebounds for the Spartans. Forward Colin Altenburg had eight points and seven rebounds and guard Callen Moore finished with eight points and two steals.

The Meteors move on to play Evergreen Park on Saturday. The Spartans play Tinley Park on Saturday, as well.