Mundelein forces the issue, trips up Stevenson

The Mundelein girls basketball team's full-court press created a win-win situation Tuesday against visiting Stevenson.

Even if the Mustangs didn't turn Stevenson over, they were still speeding up the game and forcing the Patriots to make quick decisions.

Thanks in part to a series of turnovers in the third quarter, Mundelein opened up a 16-point lead and went on to post a 50-38 victory. Mundelein junior Brooke Evans and sophomore Olivia Dunigan led the offensive attack with 10 points apiece.

"Pressure defense is not always about (forcing turnovers)," Mundelein coach Brian Evans said. "I thought they were hurrying some shots."

When the two teams played Jan. 6, the Mustangs (22-4, 6-3 NSC Lake) scored a 57-52 victory.

"We tried to pressure them as much as possible," Brooke Evans said.

Despite the defeat, the Patriots continued to show improvement.

"We're very close," Stevenson coach Trish Betthauser said. "We had a great effort; we're just a few plays away."

Stevenson (10-11, 3-4) received an emotional burst early when junior Kelsey Simon blocked 2 of her game-high 4 shots in rapid succession. She finished with 4 points and 7 rebounds.

"She was active," Betthauser said. "She's building more stamina and her rebounding was stronger."

Stevenson had a chance to go into halftime with some momentum. A 3-pointer by senior Courtney Graber closed the deficit to 21-16, and the Patriots proceeded to force a turnover. But Stevenson turned the ball back over and junior Megan Woit hit a jumper right before the halftime buzzer.

Stevenson sophomore Michelle O'Brien had a game-high 12 points. Graber hit 2 3-pointers and Betthauser praised her play on defense.

For Mundelein, Evans and Dunigan were able to find open spots down low and their teammates fed them the ball.

"We know each other well enough that we can anticipate where to go," Dunigan said.

Next up for Mundelein is a 7:30 p.m. home game Saturday against Warren.

"We still had lapses, but we're getting closer to playing a complete game," Brooke Evans said.