In the end, Mundelein handles Grant
Mundelein’s girls basketball team displayed flashes of athleticism, 3-point shooting and depth in its season opener Monday night.
Grant showed resiliency.
Bulldogs coach Matt Lukemeyer flashed a sense of humor.
Mundelein won the Thanksgiving tournament game 73-48, jumping out to a 22-8 advantage after one quarter, as it helped force 14 turnovers. But how about Grant’s second quarter? The Bulldogs erased their deficit and took a 30-29 lead on a 3-pointer by Deanna Rodriguez, before the Mustangs’ Madison Davis answered with back-to-back buckets.
Grant outscored Mundelein 23-13 in the second.
“I would like to remember just that second quarter,” said Lukemeyer, smiling. “Let’s stick to that.”
Mundelein boasted four scorers in double figures, led by Davis’ 14 points. Maggie Mahar added 11, while Natalie Busscher and 6-foot Taylor Lintner contributed 10 apiece. Olivet Nazarene-bound Lauren Rouse had 7 points, 7 rebounds and 5 steals.
Leading 35-31 at halftime, Mundelein outscored Grant 26-8 in the third quarter, as Mahar drained a pair of 3s, to extend its advantage to 61-39.
Mundelein limited the Bulldogs to 9 points in the fourth.
“The first and third quarters, I thought we did well,” Mundelein coach Brian Evans said. “Our whole thing is, hold a team to 10 points or close to it a quarter, and we did that in the (first, third, and fourth) quarters.”
Kaylie Kanzler, who’s playing her fourth season on varsity, led Grant with a game-high 18 points and 5 rebounds.
“She led our group out there,” Lukemeyer said. “She didn’t stop playing, and she was aggressive getting to the rim. She had some really nice moves.”
Nine players scored for Mundelein, which, led by Lintner, received 25 points from its bench. Maria DeVito chipped in 7 points, and Jamie Hemmer had 5 for the Mustangs.
Grant also got production from sophomores Jordynn Hundley (two 3-pointers) and 6-foot Taylor Drake (7 points, 7 rebounds).
“Mundelein’s really good,” Lukemeyer said. “They’ve got sophomores and juniors who have played varsity already. They’re veterans, even though they’re just juniors and sophomores. We obviously have work to do, but I think we can be good too.”