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Sangster, Grant pass up Mundelein

What would ESPN have given the Grant Bulldogs, in terms of their chance of beating Mundelein's girls basketball team, at halftime on Wednesday? How about, say, a 4 percent chance.

After almost everything fell for the host Mustangs and not much landed for the Bulldogs, Mundelein led by double figures at the break, 27-17. And then Mundelein scored one foul shot in the third quarter and hit nothing but 3-pointers in the final quarter.

That lull allowed Grant standout Jasmine Sangster to go into her act.

Against all odds, Grant (1-2) clawed back and held off the 3-point shooting of Amy Richards to post its first win of the season, 42-40 in the Mundelein Thanksgiving Tournament.

"They came out and took to us in the first half,'' Sangster said. "But in the locker room at halftime, we wanted to come out strong and put the pressure on."

At the four-minute mark of the first quarter, Grant held a 6-4 lead. But after a 7-footer from Taylor Parola, the Mustangs (1-2) had gone on a 21-11 run and seemed prepared to run the Bulldogs out of the gym.

"We did a decent job in the first half,'' said first-year Mundelein coach Martin Pazanin. "And I thought we did a good job of containing Sangster."

And as if someone had flipped a switch, the entire game switched after halftime. Grant inside threat Taylor Drake (11 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocked shots) began to score inside. And the defensive pressure of Grant began to earn some turnovers. If it wasn't for a free throw by Caity Pieklo, the Mustangs would have been shut out for the entire third quarter.

"The pressure bothered us,'' Pazanin said. "The bigger issue was we took some poor shots."

Grant only scored 2 field goals in the final quarter. However, the Bulldogs got to the foul line 17 times. Sangster scored 6 of her game-high 20 points in the final quarter.

"We knew we had to work on our defense,'' Sangster said. "We also did a good job of closing in on their shooters."

Richards broke the scoring drought for the Mustangs halfway through the fourth quarter. And she didn't stop there, landing two more 3s. She led Mundelein with 11 points.

"Our defense was poor in the first half,'' said Grant coach Kathie Swanson. "But we played much better in the second half."

  Grant center Taylor Drake goes up for a layup against Mundelein during tournament play Wednesday at Mundelein. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
  Mundelein's Madison Davis goes up to block the shot by Grant guard Jasmine Sangster during tournament play Wednesday at Mundelein. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
  Mundelein's Alana Goodson (30) and Caity Pieklo (42) battle Grant players Jordynn Hundley (35) and Taylor Drake (42) for a rebound during tournament play Wednesday at Mundelein. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald.com
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