Rolling Meadows still believing after tough loss
If you were to ask Rolling Meadows coach Kevin Katovich what he admires most about his team, it would be a tie between the all-around hustle and the heart it showed while winning three of its last four games following an 0-8 start.
That difficult beginning included six losses by 10 points or less, and three defeats by a bucket or less.
Unfortunately, despite still possessing those two admirable traits, the Mustangs were up against a quick, athletic team on Wednesday, and De La Salle of the Chicago Catholic League proved to be a daunting challenge in a consolation semifinal of 42nd annual Jack Tosh Holiday Classic.
Despite a second-half rally that erased much of a 22-point deficit, Rolling Meadows ended up falling short to the Meteors 65-54 at the 42nd annual Jack Tosh Holiday Classic at York High School in Elmhurst.
“Our guys put up a terrific fight this evening,” said Katovich. “While you do try to win every game you play, you also have to judge the effort that your team brings as well, and comparing that this week against the 4 teams we played, including two elite teams — we're very happy with the way we've been playing as of late.”
Meadows (3-10) kept it a game throughout the first half, trailing 34-24 at intermission despite having the tournament's second leading scorer, 6-foot-4 junior Jared Murphy, on the bench for most of it.
He picked up two quick fouls in the game's first 2:31.
“Once I went to the bench I knew that I had to be ready when I came back into the game,” said the second-year varsity player who paced the Mustangs with a team-high 20 points (15 in the second half). “I tried to do everything I could to help my team come back in the game.”
“Jared did a nice job working his way back into rhythm after getting in trouble early,” Katovich added. “He's getting better with every game. It's a result of his hard work in practice.”
Murphy's rebound putback followed by a pair of free throws keyed a 16-5 run that erased a 49-27 De La Salle advantage.
The Meteors gained that lead with a 15-3 surge that started the third period.
Rolling Meadows senior guard Matt Wojcik accelerated the comeback with 7 of his 9 points, leaving Meadows down 54-43 with 4:41 to play.
Any hopes of getting closer were denied, in large part to the handy work of the Meteors' Andre Raiford.
His game-high 24 points came from 9-of-12 shooting from the floor. He also had 9 rebounds and a pair of slams as De La Salle advanced to Thursday's noon consolation title game match against St. Patrick.
The 6-5 senior center also left the floor impressed by Meadows.
“They gave us a run for our money,” he said. “That's why we come here (to York). It's really good to match up against suburban teams that we don't see during (Chicago Catholic) league play.”
Meadows returns to Mid-Suburban East a week from Friday against Buffalo Grove.
The wide-open East features three teams (Hersey, Prospect, and Elk Grove) tied atop the standings at 2-1 awhile Meadows, Buffalo Grove and Wheeling are at 1-2.
“Our goal is to get stonger day by day, game by game,” Katovich said. “Keep worrying about what we can control not about anyone else.”
“We have a lot if confidence from this week going forward,” Murphy said. “We believe in ourselves and one another.”