Meadows doesn't forget against Buffalo Grove

Host Rolling Meadows found itself in a "been there-done that" situation Friday night and didn't want to do it again.

So the Mustangs' boys basketball team eliminated its turnovers, contained Buffalo Grove's shooters and more importantly honed their shot selection and hit the boards hard against the taller Bison to forge a 47-39 win.

The victory vaulted the Mustangs into a second-place tie with BG at 5-4 in the Mid-Suburban East.

Last time the teams met, Meadows (11-12) led for what coach Kevin Katovich called "31 minutes, then (Kevin) Mulligan took over," and BG (14-10) won 52-48.

"That was definitely on our minds," said Mustangs high-scorer Will Trunk, whose 18 points on a gimpy ankle included four 3-pointers. "Not on our home court."

Not even after BG twice crept within 4 points late in the game on a pair of baskets by Mulligan and a pair of 3-pointers by high-scorer Nick Prus (11 points). But 21 of BG's points came on 3s.

"We were trapping up top, all over the place, not letting them get to the post at all," Trunk said.

"I thought Dan Wenzel and Brian Nelms did a great job," especially guarding the dangerous Mulligan, said Katovich.

And Jimmy Garoppolo, who has "really turned it up the last three weeks," said Katovich, did a great job keeping the middle sealed in the zone and contributed 10 points. Usual high-scorer Richie Kemph, limited primarily by Mulligan to 5 points, had 7 assists.

"This was a real team win," said Katovich.

The Bison were within 43-39 with a couple of minutes left when their shots failed to fall.

As BG coach Ryan O'Connor noted, "You've got to be able to overcome that. Then you've got to play better on defense."

The Bison were down 11 after Trunk hit a 3 early in the fourth quarter, but Prus' back-to-back 3ss helped reduce it to 4 quickly. Some key rebounds, loose-ball recoveries and easy buckets against BG's press helped the Mustangs put the game away.

"We're really starting to hit our stride," Trunk said.

"They keep battling," Katovich said. "I couldn't be more proud of our seniors (Wenzel, Metzger, Trunk)."