Hadler, Elk Grove on target at Maine West
Elk Grove senior guard Dan Hadler had been having a rough go on the court lately.
Saturday night at Maine West, things became better.
Hadler led the Grenadiers with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists to lead Elk Grove to a 61-39 win in a nonconference boys basketball tilt.
"I always want to work on being more consistent, " said Hadler. "If felt good shooting the ball. I had confidence in my shot. I think this can carry over. We all shot well from deep range tonight. As long as we work the ball and keep everyone involved, we play good basketball."
Elk Grove coach Anthony Furman knows the passion with which Hadler plays.
"Tonight he did a real good job with points, rebounds, assist and keeping everyone involved," said Furman. "He came up with two big plays, with 3-point baskets and the end of the second and third quarters."
Elk Grove (13-5) trailed 7-6 before Tyler Ingebrigtsen (11 points, 6 rebounds) connected on a 3. The Grens took the lead for good and finished the quarter leading 15-7.
Maine West (4-15) stayed close at 21-15 following a Troy Johnson putback with 3:00 left in the half.
Elk Grove finished the quarter with four 3s, the final one from Hadler off of a turnover with one second left. The Grens led 32-18 at the half.
The Warriors charged back to start the second half with an 8-0 and trailed 32-26 with 5:06 left in the quarter. Matt Acevedo scored 4 of his game-high 21 points in the run.
"We called time out at that point," said Furman, "because we had made too many turnovers and we weren't taking care of the ball. That was unacceptable."
The Grenadiers righted the ship and finished the quarter with a 10-0 run of their own.
Hadler again performed some heroics, with a steal and a 3 seconds after an Ingebrigtsen's basket. That gave Elk Grove a 42-26 lead to finish the quarter.
"This time of the year," said Hadler, "it's hard to play back-to-backs. The second night, your legs are a little tired. It's important to get out to a good start. Once you warm up in the game, things are all right."
"We cut the lead to 6," said Warriors coach John Bongiorno, " but then we made some turnovers and they made the run. When you are not playing well, this is what happens. I think our defense did a nice job against them for most of the game."
"We knew they were small but fast," said Furman, "and they forced a lot of (24) turnovers. Tonight we counted on our defense."
Elk Grove received good bench play from Fulton Wingba, who has made steady gains and contributed 9 points.
"We saw improvement during the summer and more in preseason practice," said Furman. "He's worked hard on rebounding and has come up with some big points lately. His minutes will continue to improve."