MSL titles still up for grabs

Decision 2008 in Mid-Suburban League boys basketball is about as undecided as the presidential primaries.

Who will emerge with the East and West nominations for a shot at the big prize seems to be in a constant state of flux. Last weekend only added to the drama and dilemma of determining the winners.

At least it comes minus the sniping, backbiting and negative campaigning.

Four teams are in control of their own destinies with four division games to play. Buffalo Grove or Hersey in the East and Conant or Hoffman Estates in the West can reach the title game by winning out.

But Prospect is back in the East race with three straight division wins and can really throw it up for grabs when it hosts Hersey tonight.

Buffalo Grove got back into a tie last week but has a dangerous home rematch with Wheeling.

And Rolling Meadows hasn't conceded as it was 2 games out going into Thursday's visit by Elk Grove.

Defending MSL champion Conant took a 1-game West lead last weekend and will have the support of its home fans for its final four division games. The first is with Palatine tonight.

One of the key swing games is tonight when Hoffman Estates hopes to recover from a rough weekend when it hosts surprising Fremd. Both teams are 4-2 in the West and Fremd won the first meeting 39-32.

Sitting this weekend out entirely and watching is Schaumburg because of a schedule quirk. But it will start a rugged stretch of 7 games in 16 days next weekend when it plays Palatine and Barrington in MSL West games.

Starting to take flight: Having a fourth-quarter lead in half of its 12 losses hasn't been lost on first-year Leyden coach Bill Heisler.

''I told someone, 'If this keeps up I'll be 60 by the end of the season,'' joked the star of Warsaw's 1997 Class A state champion and former Western Illinois player.

Heisler might have aged even more last Friday when Leyden saw a 15-point lead disappear in the fourth quarter. But his team recovered to edge Addison Trail 50-47 for its second straight victory and first in the West Suburban Gold.

''I was pleased because we really made a stand when things got tough and refused to lose,'' Heisler said. ''That's got to become a habit.''

Especially with juniors Deron Guyton, Alex Regalado and Anthony Cushion as the Eagles' top three scorers. Guyton (17 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 23 3-pointers) is tapping into the potential that had him on varsity the past two seasons.

''His ability is the sky,'' Heisler said. ''The thing with him, it's a matter of maturing enough to play through the ups and downs of the game.

''When he wants to be he's as good as I've seen.''

Cushion was a good player for Heisler on the sophomore team last year but wasn't starting at the beginning of this year. He is averaging 8.5 points a game, leads the Eagles in 3-pointers (33) and is fourth in rebounding.

''He just finds a way to get himself on the floor,'' Heisler said. ''He doesn't make mistakes and he's a really good shooter. He's one guy day-in and day-out who exceeds expectations.''

The Eagles hope to keep building bigger ones the rest of the way. They don't have an easy task this weekend with a trip to WSC Gold leader Morton and a visit by second-place Willowbrook.

''Our Christmas tourney was rough and we didn't play very well, but I really think we've gotten better,'' Heisler said. ''We've been knocking on the door and finding a way to get over the hump is something we've really been focusing on.''

Mick's the pick:ŒOne of the most prolific offensive threats of the past MSL football season scored his only 2 points for Schaumburg last Friday night on free throws with 45.5 seconds to play.

Mick Trimarco's role is much different on the basketball court. But the senior played it well by coming off the bench early and providing a big defensive boost in the Saxons' 62-56 must-win game at Hoffman Estates.

''My role right now is to bring energy off the bench,'' said Trimarco, the MSL West football co-offensive player of the year who didn't play basketball last year. ''Like Cully (Payne) says, playing good defense produced our offense.''

Trimarco's work with Perrish Bell also helped slow Luke Mead from midway into the first quarter through the middle quarters. Mead went off for 17 of his 28 points in the final 8:01 but it wasn't enough to make up a 13-point cushion built by Schaumburg.

''I've always been pretty good at defense,'' said Trimarco, who laughed about concentrating primarily on offense for football coach Mark Stilling. ''I like guarding the best player. That's what I like to do.

''Whatever I can do do to help this team, that's what I'm going to do.''

Payne-ful situation: Cully Payne spent most of the fourth quarter walking gingerly around the Schaumburg bench trying to take in as much fluid as his body would allow.

It's all part of a cramping issue that has cropped up before for the junior guard. Coincidentally, it happened in his two biggest games in a Saxons' uniform when he scored 25 points against Rockford Boylan and Hoffman.

Payne wasn't able to return when it happened at Boylan. This time he did come back for offensive situations the last 1:13 and scored 6 points.

Payne said he plans to get the problem checked again. He said it's caused partly because he sweats a lot and dehydrates quickly.

''I've had it before where my whole body shuts down and cramps up,'' Payne said. ''It's pretty scary.''

Both Payne and Hoffman's Luke Mead went through just about every reserve of energy they had.

''Both guys at the end of the game were spent,'' said Hoffman coach Bill Wandro. ''It wasn't like one guy outlasted the other.''

A different game: First-year Marshall coach Courtney Hargrays believes his team has the toughest schedule in the state.

And part of that includes getting out of the city to play a team such as Batavia in the Meijer Hoops Showdown last Saturday at the Sears Centre.

''City teams might play defense for 10 seconds -- that's the difference,'' Hargrays said after Marshall held off Batavia 56-55. Suburban teams don't turn the ball over as much.

''No matter how much pressure you put on them, they won't turn it over.''

Batavia committed only 7 miscues -- two in the second half -- against Marshall.

Tip-ins: Elk Grove scoring leader Billy Hubly missed last Saturday's game with Buffalo Grove because of illness ... The same night saw BG senior reserve guard Evan Kander get his first action from a torn ACL ... BG all-conference guard Chris Timberg remains sidelined with a bone fracture in his foot. Hampering Timberg's recovery is the injury is in an area with limited blood flow ... Notre Dame beat Peoria Central 77-76 on Monday in one of the final four high school games in Bradley's Robertson Memorial Field House, which will be replaced by a new athletic facility … Mount Prospect resident Zach Abraham scored 12 points in an arena built with two World War II airplane hangars and where first-year Dons coach Tom Les was a standout guard for Bradley in the 1970s.