Mundelein 63, Grant 52
At this time of the season, the team that imposes its will usually comes out on top.
Typically that can take a quarter or two or even longer, but rarely does a team impose its will in the first quarter of a game. But that was exactly what No. 5 seed Mundelein did in the Stevenson regional final against No. 4 seed Grant.
The Mustangs raced out to a 13-point first-quarter lead and never let the advantage dip below 7 points the rest of the night. It added up to the Mustangs' first regional crown in three years, 63-52 over the Bulldogs.
The hosts of the Class 4A sectional will now get to go home Monday night when they face top-seeded Buffalo Grove at 7:30 p.m.
"We knew tonight would be about who is better at imposing their game on the other team," said Mundelein coach Brian Evans. "We came out and hit some shots early and that gave us a big boost of confidence."
Mundelein (23-7) opened red-hot by getting a pair of 3-pointers from Samantha Panitch and Toni Knar.
Panitch then closed the first quarter with a layup and a steal to give the Mustangs a surprising 16-3 advantage.
"(The big lead) was a surprise because we know grant is such a good team," said Panitch, who led the Mustangs with 18 points. "I was so happy to see us get off to such a good start early."
The Bulldogs pecked away at the Mustangs lead in a slow-paced second quarter.
Neither team was able to make a bucket, but Grant (25-5) used the free-throw line to draw within 18-11 with 2:28 to go before intermission.
"You figure then being down only 7, if you can keep it that way then it is much more manageable," said Grant coach Tom Oeffling. "To Mundelein's credit, they got on a little run at the end of the half and we dug ourselves a hole again."
Mundelein's run ended the half in much the same manner that the Mustangs started it. Panitch buried her second 3-pointer of the half, then Kelsey O' Connor (15 points) drained her only 3 of the night -- and the Mustangs enjoyed their biggest margin, at 31-15 into intermission.
"(Mundelein) is known for a fast pace and for shaking teams up," said Grant senior Jamie Swanson. "When we watched them against Highland Park, we saw them take and get Highland Park out of its game and they tried to do that to us tonight."
Swanson was one of the few bright spots for the Bulldogs as she closed her career with a stellar performance. Her 22 points led all scorers, but the 11 rebounds and 6 steals singlehandedly kept the Bulldogs alive, especially in the second half when Mundelein pulled away again.
"I still thought we had a chance even there at the end," Swanson said. "We never gave up and we left everything out on the court."
Grant made one final run at the Mustangs to start the fourth quarter with a 10-4 burst but never got any closer than the final margin.
"We asked the kids in practice the other day if they thought they could win tonight," Evans said. "They all said yes then we asked if was from their mouths or their hearts and they all believed in their hearts that they could do it."