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Wingba, Hubly big positives as Elk Grove tops Wheeling

It's not a matter of either/or for Elk Grove when it comes to a winning formula for the boys basketball team.

The Grenadiers need both Fulton Wingba and Bradley Hubly to be on their games to be effective, and Saturday's Mid-Suburban East contest against Wheeling was a perfect example of how that formula works.

When both Wingba and Hubly put together the kind of games coach Anthony Furman knows they're capable of, and Joey Gatziolis is rock solid with another double-figure scoring night, the outcome is a 60-45 victory that keeps the Grens tied for the East Division lead with Prospect at the halfway point.

"We want both of them to play well, not just one or the other," Furman said. "They both shoot well, rebound well, post up, take the ball off the dribble and defend well. We don't want to trade one for the other."

They didn't have to against the Wildcats (5-12, 1-4), who tightened the East race with their victory over Prospect last week.

Wingba led the balanced Elk Grove attack with 16 points, followed by Gatziolis with 15 and Hubly with 11.

A rash of Wheeling turnovers in the third quarter helped Elk Grove turn a 31-26 lead with 5:17 left in the quarter into a 42-28 lead.

The Grens shared the scoring in their 11-2 run. Tyree Howard scored 4 of his 7 points in that run, Gatziolis scored 3, and Stefan Pantovic and Hubly each added 2 points, Hubly's coming on a steal off an inbounds pass to close out the scoring.

"Turnovers have been a big problem all year," Wheeling coach Mike O'Keeffe said. "We need to start changing quickly. We're getting better, and we need to start putting a full game together."

Elk Grove led 13-9 after one quarter thanks to 4 points each by Wingba and Gatziolis, and the Grens added to their lead, 26-21 at halftime.

Wingba showed his versatility by making a 3-point basket and then exciting the crowd with a slam dunk, starting an 8-2 run that gave the Grens a 24-16 lead with 2:08 left in the half. Later in the quarter, he turned down a dunk for the sure layup.

"You have to know the right time to just take the guaranteed 2," Wingba said. "You can't always play for the crowd; you play for your teammates and the coaches."

After watching Wingba score 11 of his 16 in the first half, Hubly scored all of his 11 points after halftime, including 7 in the fourth quarter.

Now, the Grens (10-7, 4-1) start the second half of the MSL schedule knowing they have control their own destiny.

"We're in control of what we do," Furman said. "But we need to be pushing forward."

Jalen Dennis led a balanced Wheeling attack with 13 points, including 3 3-point baskets. Nick Janulis scored 9, TJ Best and Dylan Draka each scored 7, and Patrick Szpir added 6.

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