Mead, Hawks recover in time

Hoffman Estates hitched its wagon to Luke Mead on Saturday in its Mid-Suburban West boys basketball game at Palatine, and the Hawks' leading scorer answered the call.

Despite going 8:12 in the first half without scoring, the Hawks got it together offensively and outlasted the host Pirates 46-40, keeping Hoffman tied atop the division with Conant.

Mead nearly scored his average (15.8) in the second half, finishing with 15 of his game-high 18 after intermission, including 9 straight in the final 2:58 of the third quarter.

Josh Rustman made 2 quick baskets, and Monroe Brooks added a third to push Palatine (6-10, 1-4) from a 15-14 halftime deficit to a 20-15 lead early in the second half.

"The third quarter didn't start like we planned," Hoffman coach Bill Wandro said. "We talked (in the timeout) about making a few more passes before we shoot."

Mead's 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left in the third quarter gave the Hawks (11-4, 4-1) a 28-24 lead going into the fourth.

"We knew it would be a low tempo game," said Mead. "The team needed a spark."

Matt Rossi (7 points) made 2 quick baskets at the start of the fourth quarter to tie the game at 28, and Gerald Hutton's free throws tied the game for the last time at 34.

Mead's 3-pointer with 2:47 left gave the Hawks the lead for good. Hoffman made 13 of 14 free throws in the fourth quarter, including 11 of 12 in the final 1:07.

Casey Terry scored 10 points for the Hawks, and Ben Collins and Tom Dombrowski each added 6. Dombrowski's effort on the defensive end, however, earned him praise from Wandro, after he and his teammates battled Palatine's powerful Monroe Brooks (team-high 10 points), despite a pronounced size disadvantage.

"We brought him up as a freshman (2 years ago) because he has the best work ethic," Wandro said. "He's one of the toughest kids we have."

"I thought we did a nice job getting the ball inside," said Palatine coach Ed Molitor. "I thought the perimeter guys missed some opportunities to score.

"We had some defensive breakdowns in the third quarter, and Mead brought them back into the game."