Boys’ basketball took down the undefeated Catholic Memorial Knights 77-64 on January 17.

Over Christmas break, the T-Hawks lost on the road against Catholic Memorial by 7 points, but they came back ready to defend their home court.  Algonquin took control of the game with 17 unanswered points at the start of the second quarter. Junior Artem Segarra helped spark this scoring run.  

“We always talk about going into halftime with a lead, and Artem Segarra was very pivotal in that second  quarter,” head coach Brian Doherty said. “He came in and he added a little bit of energy to the team, and that was a big reason why we made that run.”

As of January 15, Catholic Memorial was ranked #1 in the state on MaxPreps.com, and Algonquin was ranked #17, so this can be can considered a big victory for Algonquin.  

“It was a big win, knowing they’re one of the best teams in the state,” senior captain Nick Redden said.

Freshman Alex Karaban had a very impressive night leading the team in scoring with 35 points and 31 rebounds.  Redden also shined, scoring 23 points. Sophomore Patrick Freeman, who was recently promoted from JV to varsity, contributed as well.

“[Patrick’s] doing good so far,” Karaban said. “I’m proud of what he’s doing. He’s just got to work on some stuff, but otherwise, I think he’s stepped up big.”

Catholic Memorial started off the game strong, led by senior captain Brendan Ryan, but Algonquin quickly caught up, setting themselves up for their big second quarter run.  By halftime, the score was 34-21.

The halftime lead helped Algonquin win as both teams scored 43 points each in the second half.  Ryan led Catholic Memorial with 22 points, and Catholic Memorial junior Spencer Aronson was not far behind with 18.  Sophomore captain Kurtis Henderson put up 11.

Despite Catholic Memorial’s effort to get back into the game, Algonquin was able to counter with big scoring of their own. Karaban and Redden continued to lead the Tomahawks throughout the second half.

Last year the T-Hawks made it to the final eight in the State Championship tournament.  Based on rankings and performances so far, Algonquin may have a chance to make a run for a state championship. The team was excited after the game.