The Englewood Stem Panthers pushed their score all the way to 64 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a serious blow against Kenwood, falling 99-64. While losing is never fun, Englewood Stem can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 422nd, while Kenwood is ranked 28th).
Kenwood got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Aleks Alston out in front who scored 18 points along with six assists and six rebounds. Jaden Smith was another key contributor, scoring nine points along with eight blocks and seven rebounds.
Englewood Stem's loss was their sixth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 7-16. That rough patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.8 points per game. As for Kenwood, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 15-6.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Englewood Stem will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Perspectives-IIT/Joslin at 5:00 p.m. on February 13th. As for Kenwood, they will be playing at home against Perspectives Leadership at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.
