Hauert hits 19 to spark Palatine

Palatine showed a bit of maturity Friday night.

The young Pirates boys basketball team that returned no starters from last year squad took another step forward.

Junior Tom Hauert scored 13 of his game-high 19 points in the second half. leading the host Pirates to a commanding 55-40 Mid-Suburban League West Division opening victory over Hoffman Estates.

The Pirates led 26-18 at halftime, but an Izaac Robinson basket off a steal from Matt Pahl narrowed the Hawks' deficit to 6 points to start the third quarter.

But the Pirates (2-3, 1-0) closed out the third quarter on a 15-2 run to take a 41-23 edge entering the final quarter.

"That was a sign of maturity," said Pirates coach Eric Millstone. "We had a decent first half, and then they came out and stayed with it in the second half."

The Pirates zone defense forced the Hawks into 2-for-10 shooting in the pivotal third quarter.

"A lot of little things added up to big run for them in the third quarter," said Hawks coach Bill Wandro, "We didn't communicate well defensively, and on offense we tried to score too early in the possession."

Hauert added 7 points in the third quarter, while junior forward John Millin (12 points) chipped in 6 points on some nifty moves to the basket.

"We were trying not to settle for outside shots," said Hauert, who went 8-for-11 from the field. "We're a young team, but the juniors and senior stepped up tonight."

The Pirates grabbed a 9-0 lead and were ahead 13-8 heading into the second quarter.

The Hawks (1-3) narrowed the deficit to 15-12 on a drive by junior Mark Roberts (4 points) with 6:40 remaining before halftime.

But senior Jeremy Driggers (11 points) drained a 3-pointer with 1:41 left before intermission and the Pirates led by 8 at the break.

"We just wanted to get out to a good start in the conference," Millin said. "We wanted to prove that even though we're a young team, we're a team that can't be messed with."

Pahl (9 points) hit three 3-pointers in the second half including a pair in the final quarter. Hawks junior Austin Terry scored 8 of his team-high 12 points in the fourth quarter.

"I don't fault their energy, but we're not making the simple plays," Wandro said. "We're going to continue to work at it."