Kemph, Rolling Meadows advance

Rolling Meadows and leading scorer Richie Kemph had a point to prove in Monday's first-round boys basketball game in the Buffalo Grove Regional. The Mustangs had lost twice to Palatine in the regular season, most recently a 52-38 defeat in last week's Mid-Suburban League crossover in which MSL scoring leader Kemph was limited to just 3 points.

Meadows made sure there was no repeat of that outcome by leading for all but 22 seconds of its 53-40 victory. Kemph scored a game-high 27 points, leading the Mustangs (10-17) into tonight's semifinal game against top-seeded Waukegan.

He was 11-of-25 from the field, including 3-of-7 from behind the arc.

"One for 16 our last game was a big motivator, but a bigger motivator was that this would be our last high school game if we lose," Kemph said.

"This was our best defensive effort all year," said Meadows coach Kevin Katovich. "We had contributions from lots of guys. It was a nice team win."

"That was the real Richie Kemph and the real Rolling Meadows," said Palatine coach Eric Millstone. "They played with a lot of energy and intensity.

"I think we got caught on our heels," Millstone said. "We were trying to survive each possession instead of attack."

Meadows turned a 12-11 deficit into a 20-12 lead in the second quarter and didn't look back. The Mustangs (10-17) stretched their lead to 35-18 when Kemph made his fourth straight basket with 3:52 left in the third.

Palatine (10-17) cut a 42-27 deficit to 48-40 with 2:32 remaining thanks to some sharp shooting by Tommy Galvan (19 points, including 4 3-pointers) and a pair of baskets by Nat Pearson.

Meadows responded by blanking the Pirates the rest of the way, and Kemph finished his night with a 3-point play and a final basket to ice the game.

Jimmy Garoppolo scored 11 points for Meadows. Tommy Johlie came off the bench to score 7 for Palatine.