Mundelein battles past LZ

When Mundelein girls basketball coach Brian Evans and Lake Zurich coach Chris Bennett play against one another, they know it’s going to be battle.

Friday night was no different at Lake Zurich.

“The final score wasn’t indicative of the game,” Evans said. “If (Lake Zurich) hits shots, they win that game.”

Mundelein led 26-24 at halftime and then exploded with an 18-4 third quarter to win 53-49 in a North Suburban Conference Lake Division game.

It was the sixth win in a row for the Mustangs (11-5, 3-3), who held the Bears to 3 field goals and 1 free throw in the third quarter.

“That’s inconsequential,” Evans said of the winning streak. “We came out lackadaisical in the beginning and then had a great third.”

Bennett wasn’t happy with the third quarter.

“(Mundelein) made some good key baskets, gave us a little bit more trouble on defense and we missed some good shots,” said Bennett, whose Bears fell to 5-12 overall and 1-5 in the NSC Lake. “All of a sudden, they go from a four-point lead to 12 points.”

Mundelein’s Maggie Mahar and Lauren Rouse led all scorers with 11 points each, while Natalie Busscher added 10. Elly Daleske paced Lake Zurich with 10 points.

“We just came real strong (in the third quarter),” Daleske said. “But we got ahead of ourselves a little bit and tried to come out too aggressive. We were reaching in a little too much. They played fast on us. We just couldn’t keep up with their speed.”