Moertl, Berry thrive in crunch time for Palatine

Jake Moertl let his football success spill over to the hardwood in Palatine's 56-50 win over visiting Rolling Meadows at the annual Ed Molitor Thanksgiving Classic.

After setting a school football record with 9 interceptions Moertl is making a smooth transition to basketball. His 3 with 6:41 left gave the Pirates (1-1) the lead for good at 41-39.

That basket sparked a 9-0 run over a 1:41 span that gave Palatine a 47-39 lead over the Mustangs. Moertl finished the run with a basket off of a Rolling Meadows turnover with 5:00 left to play.

"The 3-pointer was a big play," said Moertl. "It was a big moment but it was also a team effort that helped us win the game. The pace is quicker in basketball than football. It will take a little time to get our timing down."

"Jake really finished the season strong on the sophomore level last season," said Palatine coach Eric Millstone. "A lot of Jake's success comes from his confidence. He wants to take big shots. We're confident that he will pick up where he left off last season."

Rolling Meadows (0-2) pulled to within 47-44 with 4:00 left after a 3 from Jared Murphy (15 points) was followed by a steal and score by Gio Carrillo (14 points).

Lamon Berry (17 points) and Scott Elter hit a pair of free throws to give Palatine a 51-44 lead with 1:45 left in the game.

Berry hit 2 free throws and his final basket with :30 left for a 55-47 lead.

"I think there is a lot to be excited about with this team," said Berry, a 6-foot junior. "It was a little sloppy out there for us but we're getting a better feel of the game. I think we're going to have a good time this year."

"Lamon is another player who wants to have the ball at crunch time," Millstone said. "I thought he handled himself well tonight."

There were a total of 46 fouls. Rolling Meadows committed 29 turnovers while the Pirates had 26 miscues.

"We just made too many turnovers and it was costly," said Rolling Meadows coach Kevin Katovich. "We were careless with the ball. I will say, though, we had a better effort tonight than we had on Monday.

"The kids fought through some adversity and played hard. We just need to keep positive and to do the things that will make us better."

"Right now" said Millstone, "we need to wok on stamina and timing. When that happens it will lead to better confidence, which will lead to better execution."

Both teams will be back in action Friday. Rolling Meadows and Maine West will battle at 2 p.m., while the host Pirates take on 2-0 Jacobs at 5:15 p.m.