BG gets another one late

The method may not be easy but it's working for the Buffalo Grove boys basketball team.

For the third straight game the Bison overcame a fourth-quarter deficit as they used a tiebreaking 9-point run for a 67-60 Mid-Suburban East victory over visiting Elk Grove on Saturday night.

"It's confidence and the other teams start to get tired," said senior guard Dan Wichmann after BG improved to 4-1 in games decided by 7 points or less. "We condition so much in practice we have enough energy at the end."

And the Bison (12-4, 4-1) are in much better shape now than after leaving the Elgin Holiday Tournament on a three-game losing streak.

"The Christmas tournament really opened our eyes," Wichmann said. "We can't come out and just play OK. We have to go hard every game."

Elk Grove (5-13, 0-5) made sure it wasn't easy before suffering its fourth straight loss.

The Grenadiers were without starter Donny Duschinsky (illness) but had tough inside play from 6-foot-3 Matt Martinski (22 points, 13 rebounds), outside scoring by Tim Furlong (16 points, three 3-pointers) and 7 assists by J.J. Lastovich.

But in only their third game all season decided by single digits, every time they seemed to gain momentum it was stopped by BG.

The Grens led 31-25 a minute before halftime and BG answered with a 9-point run. They led 47-41 when David Sher tossed in a 35-footer at the third-quarter buzzer.

"But we responded and in other games we didn't," said Elk Grove coach Anthony Furman. "I thought it was a step forward for us in terms of character."

Elk Grove took its last lead at 52-50 with 5:20 left when Lastovich found Martinski on a backcut for a layup. Wichmann countered with a 3 and drives by James Hurley (18 points, 6 rebounds) and Wichmann also broke ties.

Elk Grove tied it at 57-57 on Martinski's baseline jumper at 2:57. But 2 free throws 11 seconds later by Kevin Mulligan (18 points) started BG's decisive 9-0 run to a 66-57 lead with 18 seconds left.

"The difference was they converted down the stretch," Furman said, "and we got some opportunities and did not convert."

But these situations are nothing new for the Bison.

"It shows tons of character on our kids' part," said BG coach Ryan O'Connor. "It's a credit to the kids really believing in each other and that chemistry goes a long way."