Elk Grove stays hot against Hersey

They've just got to keep believing.

Playing its best basketball of the season, Elk Grove's Grenadiers won for the third time in four Mid-Suburban East games with a convincing 56-38 triumph over visiting Hersey on Friday night.

Donny Duschinsky scored a game-high 16 points while Keven Zelaya added 12 as the Grenadiers improved to 8-14 and 4-4 in the East.

"We've got to keep improving," said Grens coach Anthony Furman. "They've got to keep believing in themselves. That's what it's all about."

And it was all about getting out front and never letting up as Duschinsky scored back to-back buckets in the lane and Brian Battaglia hit a 3-pointer for a 10-2 run that gave the hosts a 14-7 lead.

"I would like to say that Elk Grove came out and conquered immediately," said Huskies coach Steve Messer, whose team is 11-9 and 5-3. "They put their foot on the gas pedal and never let up. They worked harder than us, rebounded better and outplayed us."

Both coaches agreed the turning point occurred late in the third quarter.

The Grens saw a 33-17 lead cut to 36-25 when Hersey held the hosts to 3 free throws through the first 7:50 of the second half.

But all of a sudden John Lorenz tossed home a 3-pointer, Duschinsky drove for a layup and he came back with a steal and layup with five seconds left for a 6-0 run and 42-25 lead.

When Battaglia (8 points) started the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer, it extended the run to 9-0 and the Grens were on their way.

"We came out a little flat in the second half," Duschinsky said. "But luckily we relied on our defense, then we got out offense back at the end of the quarter."

"That last minute of the third quarter we caved," Messer said. "They scored three quick times. We just need to play better as a team.

"During any of the runs we had, they (Elk Grove) showed their character and poise."

The Grens connected on 15-of-18 free throws while Hersey was 13 of 20, led by Kyle Miklasz (5-of-7).

Miklasz, finished with team-high 11 points while added 7 and Tom Sutrinaitis 6 for the Huskies.

"We knew they've been getting 30-plus free throw attempts a game," Furman said. "We knew we wanted to keep them off the foul line."

Joe Bishoff added 8 points for the Grens while Lorenz and Matt Gordon each had 5.

"I thought our four seniors (Duschinsky, Battaglia, Scott Siwicki and Zelaya) are coming together well," Duschinsky added. "We are playing together as a team. We are playing with confidence. We've got to keep working."