When Tim Williams drilled his third three-pointer to give his team an 11-10 lead over host De La Salle, the state's ninth-ranked team, all seemed right for Antioch High School's boys basketball team.

All except the right ankle of Williams, the Panthers' talented 6-foot 8-inch senior post player, who has already signed a letter of intent to St. Mary's.

The reason Williams was taking his game outside was because his ankle was only about 65-percent healthy after he injured it the previous week in a big non-league win at Berkeley. With Williams hobbling and unable to control the inside, Antioch was no match for De La Salle, which posted a 68-43 Bay Valley Athletic League victory last Friday.

The loss dropped Antioch to 7-5 overall and 1-1 in BVAL play after the Panthers opened the league season with an impressive 65-54 win over Clayton Valley two days earlier.

Despite the injury, Williams scored Antioch's first 11 points and finished with a game-high 17 against De La Salle, followed by 13 points from 6-3 senior point guard Calvin Douglas.

"It would have been a much different game had I been 100 percent," Williams said. "We would have attacked much differently. When we see them again (Jan. 29) at our place, I'll be better and we'll be better."

The last time De La Salle visited Antioch, the Panthers pulled off a stunning 60-58 victory last season that snapped the Spartans' then 46-game BVAL win streak. The loss festered in De La Salle all summer and ignited them in last week's victory.

"That's all we talked about the off-season," said De La Salle point guard Brandon Smith, who had 14 points and six assists. "We came out tonight with a chip on our shoulder."

It showed, particularly during a 10-2 run near the end of the first half and a 16-2 spurt to close the third. Outside those two streaks, Antioch outscored the Spartans 39-37. Jose Rivera and Dominic Martellaro added 16 and 11 points, respectively, for the winners.

De La Salle (9-1, 2-0) did an especially good job harassing Douglas, who came into the game averaging 26.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.

Douglas, quite possibly the most improved player in the Bay Area, made just six of 16 shots and committed eight turnovers. The injury to Williams, who averages 23.4 points per game, along with De La Salle's rugged defense, contributed to Douglas' woes.

"I definitely felt an extra burden to score with Tim not 100 percent," Douglas said. "And those guys play tough defense. They really deny and bump. That's what De La Salle does. But our young guys got to experience what it's like to play in a big game like this. We'll be better prepared next time."

Antioch hopes to find a consistent third scoring threat, though 5-10 Emmanuel Bradford has scored in double digits four times. The junior notched seven against De La Salle, all in the fourth quarter. Douglas and Williams average almost 50 of Antioch's 68 points per game on the season (73 percent).

The Panthers will complete a busy week tonight at 7 with a game at cross-town rival Deer Valley. Antioch played home games earlier this week against Liberty (Tuesday) and Pittsburg (Thursday). After tonight, the Panthers get five days off before traveling to Freedom High School in Oakley on Thursday.