C-G rallies past Wolves

With 6:12 remaining things looked bleaked for the Cary-Grove Trojans.

Playing poorly, the Trojans trailed Prairie Ridge 35-27 early in the fourth quarter.

But Cary-Grove (9-5), which scored only 11 points in the first half, saved its best effort for last.

Led by 4 inside baskets and 8 points by Brandon Coleman, the Trojans scored 12 unanswered points and rallied for a 45-42 win over the stunned Wolves in a Fox Valley Conference crossover game in Cary on Friday night.

Cary-Grove, which made 6-of-10 shots from the floor during the crucial stretch, turned an 8-point deficit into a 4-point lead at 39-35 with 3:12 left.

PR (9-6) broke the scoring drought when Ben Rippel canned A 12-footer in the lane to bring the Wolves within 2 at 39-37 with 2:54 left.

The Wolves couldn't get any closer.

Baskets by Pete Pellizzari and Chad McCarron gave the Trojans a 6-point lead with 1:22 left.

"The kids weren't going to lose,"said Cary-Grove coach Ralph Schuetzle. "They played with a lot of determination and heart. We made a halftime adjustment. We had the guards penetrate and we attacked the basket. Prairie Ridge is a hard team to play because they play so hard and they play hard at the defensive end."

Coleman led the Trojans with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

"We went to a 5-wide offense in the second half and got some open shots," said Coleman. "We finally gained some momentum in the fourth quarter. We had our hearts in this game and weren't going to lose."

Schuetzle praised Coleman's effort.

"He weighed 255 pounds last year and lost 50 pounds in the spring and he now weighs 205," said the Cary-Grove coach. "He would not be playing basketball at 255. He has turned himself into a darn good basketball player."

Rippel led PR with 12 while Bryan Bradshaw scored 11 before fouling out 3:45 left.

"We were in the driver's seat in the fourth quarter and didn't take care of the ball," said PR coach Corky Card. "We were in a position to win and didn't make plays."