With Duschinsky back, Elk Grove swamps Rolling Meadows

Elk Grove boys baskeball coach Anthony Furman was excited about the Grens' chances when they visited Rolling Meadows on Saturday night.

"We had just a great week of practice," said Furman. "We knew there would be a time when we would be all together."

Part of the reason: senior Donny Duschinsky was going to start for the Grenadiers.

That enthusiasm must have rubbed off on all the Grens, because they dismantled the host Mustangs 48-26 in a Mid-Suburban League East Division contest.

Duschinsky scored 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting, and guard Brian Battaglia netted 14 points - including four 3-point baskets in the second quarter.

The Grens (5-12, 2-3) were torrid from the field in the first half, hitting 13 of 21 shots. They finished 21 of 39.

"After I hit that first shot, I had confidence for the rest of the night," said Battaglia, who also limited Meadows star Richie Kemph to 4 points. "We had to be aware of where he was all the time."

Center Scott Siwicki a 6-foot-6 senior, scored 6 points, blocked 7 shots and pulled down 8 rebounds.

"I knew I was the last line of defense for the team," Siwicki said. "While I didn't have a good offensive night, you can always fall back on good defense."

"We learned from out last three games (losses) that we had to come out with intensity," Furman said. "We gave them 1 shot. We played a complete game tonight."

And the return of Duschinsky to the starting lineup?

"There's no doubt having him back in the starting line up is going to help," Furman said.

"I felt really good tonight," Duschinsky said. "I just try to bring intensity to the game and to practice and try to be a leader. This win is something we can now build on. We're improving every game"

The Grenadiers built a 14-7 lead in the first quarter and then held the Mustangs (5-11, 1-4) scoreless in the second quarter. By halftime the game was out of reach at 32-7.

Tyler Gaedele led the Mustangs with 8 points off the bench.

"I was really disappointed," said Mustangs coach Kevin Katovich. "We came out tonight without Jimmy (Garoppolo), who was at Eastern Illinois for the weekend, and felt we couldn't compete without him. I would have expected our seniors to step up. Normally you hold a team to 48 points you might win, but not when you score 7 in the first half. Right now we're back to square one. We have no starters. Everyone will have to earn playing time."