Hersey sees another one slip from its grasp

With about six minutes left in Saturday's nonconference boys basketball game at Lake Zurich, Hersey forward Ryan Moran lost a contact lens on the floor.

Moran and some of his teammates, and even the referees, tried to help him locate it, but after a few minutes it was obvious the search was going to come up empty.

So Moran left the game and did not return because he was unable to see.

But in terms of what happened next, it's probably safe to say that Moran wasn't the only one who didn't see it coming.

Just about everyone in a Hersey uniform must have thought they were seeing things as their double-digit second-half lead evaporated and Lake Zurich pulled out a 44-41 victory.

The win moves Lake Zurich to 9-9 overall while Hersey drops to 14-9. The Bears are 9-1 in nonconference play, but still looking for their first win in the rugged North Suburban Lake.

"They were up (by as many as 12 in the third quarter), but we just kept clawing and pulling back," Lake Zurich guard Connor Mooney said. "We just kept having people step up."

Mooney was one of those people.

The junior guard is Lake Zurich's top option on offense, but it wasn't until there was just 4:39 left in the game that he scored his first points -- 2 free throws.

But Mooney kept plugging away and by the final buzzer, he finished with 10 points, including an 8-of-10 performance at the line.

He hit 4 clutch free throws in the final 40 seconds to seal the game.

"There isn't anybody -- anybody -- that I would rather have the ball in their hands at free throw time than him," Lake Zurich coach John Zarr said of Mooney. "He's an outstanding shooter, he's very cool and calm under pressure and he knocks key shots down at the line like that."

Another key for Lake Zurich was changing directions at halftime.

Zarr told his guards -- Mooney, Austin Cox and Chas Evans -- that instead of working the perimeter and settling for outside shots, he wanted them attacking the basket and looking for layups -- and teammates.

"In the first half, coach (Zarr) said it best that the guards were going east and west instead of north and south and when you go north and south you create more opportunities and get guys open and that's what we did in the second half," said Mooney, who pointed to some big plays by Brandon Kunz, who finished with a team-high 13 points.

"We made that adjustment at halftime and it paid off for us because we got to the basket and to the free throw line."

And that's exactly what Hersey didn't do.

The Huskies stopped attacking the basket toward the end of the game and were missing the outside jumpers they settled for.

In the fourth quarter, Hersey connected on just 3 field goals.

"We didn't rebound and we didn't attack the rim," Hersey coach Steve Messer said. "We were scared with the ball. That was it."

Hersey did manage to get a 15 points out of 6-foot-9 Dayton-bound forward Luke Fabrizius and 17 points from Griffin Dwyer, who poured in four 3-pointers.

"The game was in our hands and we just gave it up," Dwyer said. "That's how it's been all year when we lose and it's frustrating."

Glenbard W. 47, EG 44: Glenbard West boys basketball coach Tim Hoder saw his team like night and day.

"In some spots, our effort was good," he said. "In others, it was like we were taking the night off."

The Hilltoppers were "on" enough in the final five minutes to outscore host Elk Grove 7-2 and leave with a 47-44 triumph in the nonconference game Saturday night.

John Shurna, a 6-foot-8 Northwestern University recruit, returned from illness which forced him out of Tuesday's game against Driscoll.

Hoder played the senior forward (22 ppg) about 16 minutes but he did plenty of damage off the bench with 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Senior Billy Hubly led the Grenadiers (2-21) with 16 points while junior Matt Martinski added 15.

Elk Grove (2-21) built a 20-12 lead in the second quarter, thanks to a 13-0 run that included two buckets from J.J. Lastovich, two from Martinski and two from Hubly, including a 3-pointer.

The Grenadiers led 38-33 with 2:07 left in the third quarter when the visitors went on a 12-2 run to take a 45-40 advantage with 1:43 left in the game.

"You can't score 2 points in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter," said Grenadiers coach Anthony Furman. "You've got to come out and make something happen at the start of the quarter.

"Second-chance rebounds kept them in the game. And we did not run the same possessions in the second half that we had in the first.

"We got impatient and had too many one-pass shots. They (West) did a great job being patient and waiting in their offense."

The Grenadiers got a steal from Lastovich with 35 seconds left and converted it into a layup by Hubly to close within 47-44 with 28 seconds left.

The Grenadiers had it down to a one-possession game, missing a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left and the Hilltoppers grabbed the rebound and ran out the clock.

Joe Baxter, Tim Furlong and Robert Hult also gave the hosts offensive points.

"As a team we're growing with every game," Furman said. "We'll learn from this and get ready for Larkin Tuesday and then the state tournament."

-- John Leusch

Niles W. 72, RM 71 (OT): Saturday night's Rolling Meadows boys basketball game against visiting Niles West started out as a calm, sedate, fairly well- attended weekend nonconference contest.

It ended with the excitement level off the charts, with fans of both teams on their feet screaming at the top of their lungs.

Rolling Meadows held a comfortable lead for most of the game, but Niles West tied it at the regulation buzzer on a 35-foot prayer, then held on in overtime to stun the Mustangs 72-71.

"I'm ecstatic, I'm just euphoric," said Niles West coach and Meadows grad Fritz Wulfram, whose team rallied to win its third game of the season. "I'm so happy for these guys. They've worked so hard."

Meadows coach Kevin Katovich had quite the opposite reaction.

"This was a tough one to take," Katovich said.

Meadows (11-9) led by as many as 9 in the fourth quarter and still had a 62-55 advantage with 30 seconds remaining in the game.

But some missed free throws down the stretch hurt the Mustangs, and with Niles West (3-17) trailing 64-61, junior R.J. Dilay sank a running, one-handed 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into OT.

Dilay hit another 3 in overtime, and 6-foot-6 junior guard Nik Garcia (game-high 24 points) sank 2 late free throws to give the Wolves a 72-71 lead.

The Mustangs had one final chance, but a 3 attempt by Meadows senior Ty Kirk (15 points) with seconds left bounced off the rim.

Kyle Gaedele scored 21 points to lead Meadows, while sophomore Richie Kemph added 13 points and Kevin Serna scored 11.

"We were 12-for-20 from the line in the final quarter and overtime," said Katovich. "That killed us."

-- Bill Esbrook