Duncan, Devils down Lake Zurich

Warren senior David Duncan was all set to play in the Blue Devils' home contest against Mundelein on Friday night.

Due to the weather, Duncan had to wait another 24 hours before he and the Devils could play. It was well worth the wait for Duncan.

Playing most of the fourth quarter with a lump on the back of his head caused by an awkward fall, Duncan proceeded to put a few lumps on the Devils' opponent, Lake Zurich.

Duncan went for a season-best 22 points, including a huge 3-pointer that put Warren up for good in the fourth quarter, to help the Devils claim a 53-50 win at Lake Zurich Saturday night.

The win was the 12th in a row for Warren (14-1, 5-0).

"I had to lay on the floor and catch my breath after I fell," Duncan said. "But I came out of it OK and I felt like my shot was really falling for me tonight."

Duncan's outburst offset a fabulous performance by Bears senior Connor Mooney. Mooney, who admittedly had struggled the last few games, started slow against Warren but then exploded in the second half.

At one point, Mooney scored nine straight points to help Lake Zurich (7-9, 1-5) take a 37-35 lead at the outset of the fourth quarter.

"The captains sat down with the coaches and talked about what we needed to do to get better," said Mooney, who scored 17 of his game-high 23 points in the second half. "We switched things around in our offense to get me going and when I got a couple to go, going to the basket, I felt like I was in a good rhythm."

The run of 9 straight points by Mooney gave the Bears their last lead of the night at 37-35 with 6:58 to go. Back-to-back buckets, including a resounding dunk from Illinois-bound Warren senior Brandon Paul, kept the Devils step for step with the Bears.

But it was the 3 from Duncan with 5:40 to go in regulation that gave the Devils the lead for good.

"David was big for us tonight," Warren coach Chuck Ramsey said. "He made some big shots and he is a tough kid."

Warren built a 49-42 advantage late in the fourth quarter, but 3s from Mooney and Chas Evans (6 points) pulled the Bears within 52-50. But a desperation 3 attempt from Mooney could not force overtime.

"This is a game where I don't feel like we lost the game," Lake Zurich coach John Zarr said. "I feel like we can hold our heads high based on the effort we gave."

Paul chipped in with 19 points for the Devils. Brandon Kunz added 10 for Lake Zurich.