Meadows holds off scrappy Hersey

Hersey almost stole a Mid-Suburban League East Division victory from Rolling Meadows on Saturday night.

Then the Mustangs took it right back.

Three steals by Hersey junior forward Kyle Miklasz helped lead a fourth-quarter comeback that saw the Huskies cut a double-digit Meadows lead to 1 with a minute left.

Then a late takeaway and free throws from Mustangs senior Teddy Metzger helped seal a 45-44 Meadows win.

"I thought Teddy really stepped up at the end," said Meadows coach Kevin Katovich.

It looked as if the Mustangs had put the game away with 6:10 remaining after junior guard Richie Kemph (game-high 16 points, 8 rebounds) canned a 3-pointer and a layup, and Jimmy Garoppolo (6 points) hit a layup to put Meadows ahead 38-28.

But visiting Hersey wouldn't quit, and a strong defensive effort that included 4 steals in the backcourt, and baskets from Kyle Miklasz and Connor Miklasz (9 points) brought the Huskies within 39-40.

With 19 seconds left, Metzger corralled a loose ball after a scrum at the Hersey end and hit 2 key free throws to give the Mustangs some breathing room.

Metzger and Kemph each nailed clutch free throws in the final seconds, enabling the Mustangs to withstand a 3-pointer at the buzzer from Kyle Mengarelli, who led Hersey with 13 points.

"We've had a tough stretch of games," Katovich said. "That builds character and helps you get after it. We've been playing much better defense lately. We held a team like Hersey to the low 40s, and that's hard to do."