Mundelein quickly matures

It might be two games into the season, but Mundelein's girls basketball team is growing up very quickly and learning the game.

The Mustangs are a young team with minimal varsity experience. But they're proving that increased intensity and some hard-nosed defense will yield winning results.

Mundelein beat Prairie Ridge 53-40 in the Mundelein Turkey Tournament on Wednesday night.

Olivia Dunigan led the Mustangs with a double-double and team-highs of 17 points, 11 rebounds and 5 steals. Sophomore, Becca Woit added 12 points off the bench and Amanda Davis chipped in with 10.

The Mustangs (2-0) raised their defensive pressure a couple of notches after holding a 24-23 lead at the break.

“After halftime, it was a case of playing harder,” Mundelein coach Brian Evans said. “Our whole thing is to hold teams to 10 points or less in a quarter.”

In the third quarter, Dunigan scored 6 points and Mundelein outscored Prairie Ridge 12-7 to earn a 36-30 lead going into the final quarter.

“As a team, we were scoring, and our defense really picked things up,” Dunigan said. “We were able to pull things out and got the other team tired.”

Davis helped out defensively in the fourth quarter with 3 steals. She also scored 6 points to put Mundelein ahead 47-36 with four minutes remaining.

“Once we picked up the defense, then the offense came together,” Davis said. “We were able to help each other on the defense a lot more.”

Mundelein held the Wolves (2-1, 1-1) to 17 points over the second half.

“Our defense is not what it should be right now,” said Evans, whose team gave up 62 points in a season-opening win over Glenbrook North on Tuesday night. “A lot of these kids are taking the floor at the varsity level for the first time in their lives.

“It was a big stride, because Prairie Ridge shot the ball much better than (Glenbrook North) and were much more athletic,”

Prairie Ridge hit 5 straight shots from the field to begin the game and finished 6 of 9 from the floor in the opening quarter, but the Mustangs still led 16-15 at the end of the period. The Wolves struggled the rest of the way offensively, shooting 9 of 36 over the last three quarters.”

“I thought our legs left us a bit,” said Prairie Ridge coach Matt Timmerman, whose team was playing its third game in three nights. “We knew Mundelein would be a tough team. Their pressure is always right in your face and they never give up.”