Basketball Recap: Illinois Math & Science Academy Comes Up Short

Illinois Math & Science Academy fought the good fight in their overtime game against Newark on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Newark Norsemen by a score of 75-72. The loss continues a trend for the Titans in their matchups with the Norsemen: they've now lost nine in a row.

Newark's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Payton Wills led the charge by going 10 for 23 en route to 27 points in addition to five rebounds and five steals. The dominant performance gave Wills a new career-high in points. Another player making a difference was Reggie Chapman, who shot 5-for-9 from downtown and almost dropped a double-double on 23 points and nine assists.

Illinois Math & Science Academy's defeat dropped their record down to 4-9. As for Newark, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 11-7 record this season.

Illinois Math & Science Academy and Marian Central Catholic will face off at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday without much rest having both just played. As for Newark, they and Marquette will face off at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday without much rest having both just played.