The Englewood Stem Panthers pushed their score all the way to 68 on Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 81-68 hit to the loss column at the hands of Phillips. 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 438th, while Phillips is ranked 109th).
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Phillips to victory, but perhaps none more so than Lawrence Horton, who scored 26 points along with six rebounds and five assists. Amari Edwards was another key contributor, scoring 18 points along with six assists.
Englewood Stem bumped their record down to 5-12 with that loss, which was their fourth straight at home. That rough patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.0 points per game. As for Phillips, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a massive bump to their 9-7 record this season.
Englewood Stem will head out on the road to face off against Dyett at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. As for Phillips, they will look to defend their home court on Thursday against Lindblom at 4:30 p.m.
