Hawks rally to victory
In a tight game between two closely matched teams, even the smallest play or sequence of plays can decide the outcome.
And when Mundelein and Hoffman Estates met for the title of the Lady Mustang Holiday Classic, a mere one minute sequence at the end of the third quarter made all the difference.
Hoffman scored the last 4 points of the third quarter and the first 7 of the fourth, lifting the Hawks to a 52-48 come-from-behind win over the host Mustangs to earn the tournament title.
"All it takes is a missed free throw or a layup or a basket or sequence of plays at any point in the game and that can decide the outcome," Mundelein coach Brian Evans said. "You can really point to any sequence, but that series at the end of the third quarter was huge."
Hoffman (13-2) used the 11-0 run to erase a 36-29 deficit with 1:07 to play. The Hawks took their first lead of the second half on a bucket by all-tournament performer Megan Fischer. The layup off a perfect pass from sophomore Jada Stotts (6 assists) gave Hoffman the lead for good at 38-36 with 6:40 to play in the game.
"We just didn't play as a team in the first half," said Fischer, who led the Hawks with 13 points. "After halftime we took a different mentality and played more together as a team and more aggressive on defense."
Mundelein (12-3) controlled the game for the first two-plus quarters. Led by the 3-point shooting of Toni Knar, the Mustangs led by as many as 7 and held a 28-23 lead into the halftime break. Knar led all scorers with 15 points.
"Offensively, we scored enough points to win the game," Evans said. "Defensively, we gave up 30 points in the second half. That is too many against a good team like this."
The Hawks also made a defensive adjustment in the second half going to a zone as opposed to the man-to-man defense that Mundelein exploited in the first half.
"I think once we realized there in the third quarter that we could play with Mundelein I think the kids relaxed a little bit," said Hoffman coach Mike Nocella. "I think once we got the lead that really took and put the pressure on Mundelein."
Alex Wulbecker added 10 points for Hoffman. Kelsey "O'Connor chipped in with 10 for Mundelein.