Mundelein falls to Rockford Jefferson
Mundelein tried to run but couldn't find a place to hide from visiting Rockford Jefferson on Tuesday night.
The Mustangs built a 20-point lead before halftime but the Jayhawks recovered and earned a 68-56 victory in Thanksgiving tournament play at Mundelein.
Everything started out just right for Mundelein (0-2), with the combination of Ben Brust scoring 17 of his team-high 29 points and 6-foot-7 sophomore Ryan Sawvell adding 15 of his 17 through the first half.
Mundelein had 20-point advantage with over a minute left in the second quarter and led 39-21 at the break.
But Rockford Jefferson started the second half with a 12-point spurt. Marcus Marshall made a layup to cap a 16-2 run and the Mundelein lead was down to 41-37 with 52 seconds left in the third quarter.
"We wanted to get it down to less than 10 going into the fourth quarter," Rockford Jefferson coach Todd Brannan said. "They played hard and made a few shots. Then when you do that you play harder defensively.
"I thought we might run out of gas with two minutes left in the third quarter. We did get a nice lift off the bench defensively."
Mundelein made the score 44-37 on a Kevin Barber 3-pointer with 40 seconds left.
But the Jayhawks (2-0) kept moving along in the final quarter, outscoring the Mustangs 31-12. Jordan Kerley scored 11 of his team high 19 points, Warren Lovett added all 8 of his points and Thaddeus Perry chipped in with 7 of his 17 in the fourth.
"We talked about coming out and playing well," said Mundelein coach Richard Knar of the start of the second half. "It would've been demoralizing for them. If we don't and they start playing well, then the momentum would swing.
"We just didn't come out and play well. We need someone to step forward when things get tough and get through things. When things go bad, they go really bad."
Loyola Academy 57 Grayslake Central 49: It was like a football game on the basketball court - a physical game throughout. Loyola Academy won the war in the trenches and pulled out a 57-49 victory.
The Rams (1-1) had a 6-point advantage into the third quarter and led 40-39 going into the fourth quarter before the game went in another direction.
"We lost to a better football program," said Grayslake Central coach Brian Moe with a chuckle. "Our kids got caught up in the moment. We just got away from our character.
"We tried to pick up the tempo in the second half. It's not something that we're used to and it was hard for us to get good shots."
The Ramblers (2-0) dominated the final quarter, making 12 of 16 free throws and outscoring the Rams 18-9.
The Ramblers Matt Sullivan hit 7 of 9 from the stripe in the fourth. He finished with a game-high 29 points, and Brian Kucera hit 5 of 6 free throws to finish with 7 points.
"I think fatigue was big part with both teams playing so hard," said Loyola Academy coach Bryan Tucker. "Our kids really stepped up and really started to execute our offense."
Grayslake Central was led by Andrew Sipes with 16 points; Michael Brumm added 14.