Complete effort carries Conant past Palatine
There were a few defensive possessions that Conant coach Tom McCormack wasn't happy with in the third quarter.
But even McCormack had to be pleased with the way his Cougars dismantled visiting Palatine 62-43 in Mid-Suburban West boys basketball action Saturday night.
"I thought we had some lapses on the defensive boards early in the third quarter, and a coach is always going to point out those things," McCormack said. "But this was pretty close to a complete game."
Conant (9-9, 4-2) shot 58 percent (19-for-33) from the field and made 15 of 17 free throws in a game it led by as many as 26 in the fourth quarter.
Josh Baldus and Austin Marrison scored on offensive rebounds to open the game and helped stake Palatine (2-16, 1-5) to a 6-2 lead, which prompted an immediate timeout from McCormack.
"Their first two baskets came on second-chance points," McCormack said. "Any coach will be all over that. But we seemed to refocus right away."
Conant's defense dug in and didn't allow a point for 8:46, during which the Cougars outscored Palatine 15-0.
The Cougars picked apart the Pirates' 1-3-1 zone defense, working the ball around the perimeter for quality shots. That patience paid off as Conant assisted on 17 of its 19 field goals.
"The scout team prepared us for that," said sophomore DeAngelo McBride of a trapping Palatine defense that has often frustrated opponents. "We found the openings during practice, which made it easier today."
The Pirates began the third quarter on a 10-4 run to close to within 38-26 after Baldus converted off a nifty feed from Tom Hauert. But Joey Ranallo, McBride and Robert Hudson all knocked down 3s to push the lead up to 21 with 1:26 left in the third quarter.
Conant knocked down 9 of its 14 attempts from long range as six players connected from deep, led by 3 from McBride and 2 from Josh Copher.
Tim Manczko (13 points) was 7 of 7 from the free-throw line, the last of which gave Conant a 57-31 lead with 4:21 left.
"It was a combination of them playing with a lot of confidence and intensity on defense and us being reactive instead of proactive," said Palatine coach Eric Millstone.
McBride finished with 13 points and 4 assists while Sean Bourke added 9 points and 7 rebounds.
John Millin scored 12 points to lead Palatine, and Baldus was active down low with 10 points and 5 rebounds.
"We just have to write this one off because we have been doing some good things," Millstone said. "This was not indicative of how we've been playing or who we are. A lot of that had to with the way Conant came out."