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Schaumburg handles Rolling Meadows

There may not be any auto manufacturers in Schaumburg, but they still have their own version of the Big 3.

Michael Hodges, Heze Trotter and Chris Hodges accounted for all but 2 of Schaumburg's points Tuesday as the Saxons drove past host Rolling Meadows 59-43 in a Mid-Suburban League crossover boys basketball game.

It was a solid bounce-back win for Schaumburg (21-6), which had a disappointing overtime loss to Fremd last Friday.

"I thought it showed a ton of maturity, toughness and leadership," Schaumburg coach Wade Heisler said. "I couldn't be more proud of the guys."

The Hodges brothers and Trotter were a force on the offensive end. The Saxons went outside in, with Michael Hodges and Trotter combining for eight 3-pointers, while Chris Hodges was able to score down low.

"We went back to the basics on playing with a lot more confidence," said Trotter, who finished with 21 points. "We just didn't play scared. We didn't finish up possessions well on Friday and played a little timid. Today we just focused on confidence."

Shooting with confidence was Michael Hodges, who knocked down five 3s and finished with 23 points.

"We would have loved to been in the conference championship," Michael Hodges. "The three of us need to come out playing well because the team feeds off of us and we as leaders need to be our best every day."

Michael Hodges, who finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds, said that the Saxons successfully regrouped defensively on Tuesday.

"We had to mentally prepare for tonight," Michael Hodges said. "We had to focus on what we did wrong defensively on Friday. We made adjustments tonight."

It was evident that the rest of Schaumburg took that queue, slowing down Rolling Meadows' Max Christie. The sophomore did finish with 15 points, but the Saxons forced him to work for those points, limiting him to just 7-of-25 shooting.

Despite the slow night for Christie, Rolling Meadows trailed 19-18 with 6:27 left in the first half. Schaumburg then stepped up its defensive pressure, forcing 6 turnovers the rest of the quarter while scoring 15 unanswered points to close the half with a 34-18 lead.

Meadows put together some fierce defensive pressure of its own. The Mustangs, who were led by Javonte Warrener's 18 points, were able to get within 6 at 44-38 at the end of three quarters.

It appeared that the Mustangs would get even closer when they rebounded a missed Schaumburg shot to begin the final period. But Jared Schoo stole the ball under the Mustangs' basket and turned it into an easy layup, sparking an 11-0 run to put the game away.

"I didn't think we were mentally where we needed to be tonight," said Rolling Meadows coach Kevin Katovich, whose team had a huge win over MSL East champion Prospect last Friday. "I thought after the Prospect game we were going to take a giant step. Now it is time to regroup and get ready for the playoffs."

It was also a playoff tuneup for both teams as they begin their Class 4A tournament schedule next Tuesday. Schaumburg will be at Glenbrook North against the host Spartans. Rolling Meadows will host its own regional and will take on Loyola.

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