Mundelein breaks away from Loyola

With the way Mundelein has seen leads vanish lately, the Mustangs were due for a big break. They got one - or, rather, made one - in Saturday's contest with Loyola in Thanksgiving Tournament play at Mundelein.

Holding a slim 50-45 lead early in the fourth quarter and all the momentum clearly with the Ramblers, junior guard Leavon Head stole a Ramblers pass and was fouled hard on his way to the basket, drawing an intentional foul. Head sank the ensuing free throw to complete the 3-point play. He then inbounded the ball to a wide open Ben Brust who calmly sank one of his four 3-pointers.

The 6-point swing started a 13-0 Mundelein run that all but sealed a 70-56 win over Loyola.

"I think that was a very important part of the game tonight," Head said. "That gave us a huge boost in a big spot in the game."

Mundelein turned the 5-point advantage into its biggest lead of the night at 61-45 and did so in a span of under two minutes.

"That was such a huge lift - a huge energy play," said the Iowa-bound Brust, who led all scorers with 30 points.

Head was also a key figure in the Mundelein (3-1) offense. He scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half including a big 3-pointer early in the third quarter that halted another run by Loyola (2-2).

"We have been working in practice on moving without the ball and sharing the ball with Ben," Head said. "A lot of teams will focus a lot on him and that will provide other guys with open shots."

Loyola used its inside game to draw within 44-42 late in the third quarter. Juniors Jared Prince and Michael Lang combined for 17 of the Ramblers' 24 points in the third quarter to keep Loyola within striking distance. Prince led the Ramblers with 16 points, Lang closed with 13.

But Brust scored 12 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and got help from junior Ryan Sawvell (11 points) to secure the Mustangs' third win in a row.