For Elk Grove, another almost-but-not-quite rally

Elk Grove has been relentless all season and showed that same gritty spirit Monday at the Glenbrook North Class 4A regional quarterfinal.

Seeded 21st, the Grens fell behind 8-0 early to 12th-seeded Mather before storming back to take a 2-point lead in the second quarter.

The Grens opened the third quarter trailing 28-20, but entered the final quarter only trailing 38-36.

Mather increased its lead midway in final quarter to 50-40, but the Grens narrowed their deficit to 3 points with 1:01 remaining in the contest.

But in the end, Mather (25-6) was able to hold off a resilient Elk Grove attack 57-49 and advance to the regional semifinal today against host Glenbrook North at 8:10 p.m.

"We do a really good job of battling," said Grens coach Anthony Furman.

"We have to do a better job of staying consistent. It really was a roller-coaster game."

Grens senior Justin Flores tied for game-high scoring honors with 17 points that included a pair of 3-pointers at the end of the third quarter which narrowed the deficit to 2 points.

"That's something we did all season, we fall behind but we never give up," said Flores, who scored 10 points in the second half. "We had a lot of close games. We just couldn't get over that hump."

Elk Grove (6-22) came close to getting over that hump when senior John Lorenz nailed the Grens' seventh 3-pointer to narrow the deficit to 50-47 with just over a minute remaining on the clock.

But Mather responded by converting 5 of 6 free throws in the final minute to secure the victory.

"We just don't quit," said Lorenz, who finished with 15 points. "We're going to keep working."

Grens sophomore guard Austin Amann added 15 points.

Senior Bonji Oboh Osinake scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half, as Mather led 26-20 at intermission.

Osinake also added 11 rebounds to help the Rangers to a 28-19 rebounding advantage over the Grenadiers.

Rangers senior Ken Murphy added 10 points and senior Brandon Ruby contributed 11 points.

"I give Elk Grove a lot of credit, they don't quit," said Mather coach Glen Hefferman.

"Our guys just seem to find ways to win. We're small but we're scrappy."