Ott's hustle sparks Rolling Meadows
A single basket near the end of the first quarter, easily overlooked in a box score, proved to be the impetus that got Mid-Suburban East leader Rolling Meadows untracked in its first boys basketball game at home since last February.
As time was about to expire, senior John Ott grabbed a loose ball and tossed it in as he was falling away from the basket, eventually landing on the floor.
The basket gave the Mustangs (12-5, 6-0) a 5-point lead over Elk Grove and provided the spark they would need to maintain a two-game East lead after their 63-53 win Saturday.
Ott didn't lead the team in scoring. Tyler Gaedele scored a game-high 23 points, including four 3-pointers.
Ott didn't dominate the boards. Michael Rose hauled down 17 rebounds (8 on the offensive end) to go with his 18 points.
"I've never played with anyone with that much athleticism," Gaedele said of his teammate.
"He and (Mike) Dolan dominated the boards," Meadows coach Kevin Katovich said. "That was one of the differences in the game."
But Katovich left no doubt about the importance of the basket that put the Mustangs up 16-11.
"Ott's basket was the turning point," Katovich said. "He won a hustle play.
"At the beginning of the game, I wasn't happy," Katovich said. "We didn't get into the flow until we started rebounding."
"The tempo picked up, and we got good ball movement," said Rose.
Elk Grove saw a 26-24 lead late in the second quarter evaporate in a 16-0 Meadows run that saw Gaedele score 7 and Rose 6. Yet Elk Grove managed to whittle the 40-26 deficit back to 49-42 at the end of the third quarter, the same margin as halftime.
The closest the Grens (7-11, 2-4) could get down the stretch was 53-47 with 2:14 left. A 3-point play by Gaedele, a basket by Rose and 3 of 4 from the line by Brian Nelms (13 points) sewed up the win.
Three Grens scored in double figures, Austin Amann (18), Kishan Patel (16), and Zach Solorio (13).
"For as many good things as we're doing, we're making too many mistakes," said Elk Grove coach Anthony Furman. "We have to sustain what we're doing well for longer periods. We're looking for a little more at each position."