Meadows nets OT victory in tournament finale
Rolling Meadows attempted only 2 free throws in regulation on Friday afternoon in the fifth-place game at the Hinsdale South Holiday Tournament.
But the Mustangs cashed in at the charity stripe in overtime, making their first 9 of the extra session to pull away for a 51-40 victory over Highland Park.
Brian Nelms (10 points) started the parade to the line just over a minute into overtime, giving the Mustangs a 42-40 lead. Mike Olson (11 points) canned 5 of 6 while Tyler Gaedele also knocked down a pair.
"Mike did a real nice job for us at the line, closing it out for us," said Meadows coach Kevin Katovich. "You want your seniors to make those big free throws for us and he did."
Free throws were Meadows' only source of offense in overtime until Michael Rose scored with 13 seconds left to set the final margin.
"Coming in (to overtime), we wanted to get off to a good start by working the ball around and getting a good shot," Olson said. "We had a couple of good possessions and they ultimately had to foul us."
After Highland Park overcame a 5-point deficit with just over a minute left in regulation, Rolling Meadows (9-5) held the Giants scoreless in overtime.
"Our defense was good the entire game," Olson said. "We are always trying to hold teams under 50, so 40 is great. We are a defensive-minded team."
Highland Park led 18-17 with 2:50 left in the first half but John Ott knocked down consecutive 3-pointers to spark an 8-0 run before intermission.
The Giants battled back in the third quarter, eventually tying the game at 33-33 when Jake Norcia's (game-high 15 points) near-halfcourt heave beat the buzzer.
Meadows had 24 attempts from long range, 13 of which came in the first half. While they only connected on 7 of them, the Mustangs' good ball movement kept Highland Park scrambling and allowed their own defense to get set.
"We wanted to push the ball and attack the seams," Olson said. "We can kick out to our 3-point shooters. We like to drive and kick, and that's what we try to do against the zone."
Gaedele scored 5 of his team-high 13 points in the opening minute of the game, helping Meadows build an early 7-3 lead. The Mustangs then endured a scoreless streak of nearly eight minutes but recovered to outscore the Giants 18-8 in the second quarter.
The victory caps off a 3-1 week for Meadows in which their only loss was in overtime to previously undefeated Metea Valley.
"We knew that coming in here, we would play good teams," Katovich said. "We played four outstanding, well-coached teams so we're excited about that."