Singh, Mustangs sizzle against Round Lake

Mundelein senior Navjot Singh was limited by foul trouble in Saturday's 81-79 loss to Loyola Academy.

On Monday, Mundelein coach Richard Knar could tell Singh meant business from the minute the 6-foot-3 wing player walked into the Mustangs gymnasium.

"He was quiet and focused at our shootaround," Knar said. "I knew he would have a big game."

Singh certainly delivered in the Mustangs' 84-54 victory over Round Lake in the final game of the Mundelein Thanksgiving Basketball Tournament.

Singh did not miss a shot in the second half when he scored 23 of his game-high 28 points. Singh, who finished with 11 rebounds, helped Mundelein (4-1) turn a slim 36-29 halftime lead into a 30-point game.

"That's the way he can play," Knar said. "He has that type of ability."

Almost all of Singh's points came on layups in the lane.

"I'll take those every time," he said. "A lot of times I would catch it and no one was there."

That certainly was not true in the first half. Round Lake's multiple zone defenses kept Mundelein out of synch. The Panthers (1-4) were up 11-7 midway through the opening quarter and Mundelein needed a 6-0 run to lead 15-11 after eight minutes.

"We may have caught them a bit off guard with our zones," Round Lake coach Jeremy Fisher said.

Added Mundelein senior guard Eric Pagsanjan: "We were flat in the first half; their zone slowed us down."

In the third quarter, Singh and the Mustangs took over.

"(Singh) is just a dangerous player," Fisher said. "He was able to get into the open lanes."

Sophomore guard Ben Brust added 14 points for Mundelein. The Mustangs converted just two 3-pointers and scored a lot of their baskets in the paint.

Seniors Jerome Brown (20 points) and Mike Mpokota (15 points) were Round Lake's leading scorers.

"(Brown) is tough and aggressive," Fisher said. "His athleticism really allows him to get to the rim."

Brown said the Panthers have a lot to look forward to this season.

"I've been on (varsity) since my freshman year," he said. "This is the best team I've been (on) so far."

Loyola 56, Carmel 42: The Corsairs finished far better than they started, but still couldn't overcome Loyola in the Mundelein tournament.

After having fallen behind 34-11 by halftime, Carmel got back into the game with tough defense.

"We played much better in the second half because we played with more energy," Carmel coach Jon Baffico said. "We did the things that we're capable of doing and I think that second half is going to be something we can build on."

David Venegoni led the Corsairs (1-4) with 16 points, which is impressive considering that he was sporting cleats and shoulder pads just a week ago.

Venegoni was the quarterback of the football team, which reached the Class 7A semifinals.

"We're getting our football players back so we're just starting to round into shape," Baffico said. "It'll be nice to have everyone with us now."