West Chicago stays calm, overcomes Addison Trail

After winning a triple-overtime game to start the season, West Chicago's boys basketball team doesn't stress easily.

That proved useful on Tuesday.

The Wildcats answered every challenged issued by host Addison Trail, and held on for a 57-52 nonconference win over the Blazers.

Addison Trail (2-6) struck West Chicago (3-4) with a 9-0 run in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter to claim a 45-44 advantage the Blazers' first lead since midway through the first quarter. Vince Beltrano sparked the burst with 5 points and an assist on Mike Gontarek's bucket.

West Chicago responded with 7 straight points capped by a three-point play from Brian Baids, but the Blazers still didn't fade. They narrowed the gap to 53-52 on a Tyler Horvath free throw with 1 minute, 40 seconds left, but a turnover on their next possession prevented the Blazers from taking the lead.

The Wildcats closed the game by making 4 of 6 free throws capped by Justin Mundt's pair in the final second to seal the win.

"We've been in that position before with close games, and we didn't panic," said Mundt, who scored 6 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. "We came down to the end of the game and needed to make some free throws, and that's what we did. That triple-overtime game was great to prepare us for games like this."

Saddled by foul trouble throughout the game, Addison Trail struggled for cohesion. Every starter finished with at least three fouls. Two finished with four fouls.

Lapses on both ends hounded the Blazers, especially in the second half. After Adam Halick and Beltrano knocked down 3-pointers to tie the game at the start of the third quarter, Addison Trail couldn't build on the momentum.

"I just felt like we just didn't get into a flow the entire night," said Blazers coach Brendan Lyons. "We had trouble creating the tempo that suits our play. I've never had that many kids have that many fouls in the first half, and I think that affected how we played."

Six-foot-five Dylan Hedmark, who poured in a game-high 17 points from the post, scored 6 points in a 7-0 West Chicago run as the Wildcats stormed to a 37-30 lead following the Blazers' quick second-half start.

Beltrano led Addison Trail with 14 points off the bench, while Horvath added 12 points.

"I don't think we ever showed doubt, and I really think that had a lot to do with us winning that triple-overtime game," said Wildcats coach Kevin Baldus. "We didn't miss our opportunity at the end."