Hoffman shows maturity in victory at Palatine

The Hoffman Estates boys basketball team grew up this week.

And it showed in the Hawks' 58-54 Mid-Suburban West victory at Palatine on Friday night.

After a pair of tough losses last weekend, including pushing state-ranked Benet into overtime before falling, Hoffman (10-15, 3-6) bounced back in a big way.

"This is a huge maturity win for us," said Hoffman coach Luke Yanule. "We had the lead in both games last week and let them get away. It was a huge growth win for us. Plus it gets us to 10 wins."

Trailing 31-26 at half, the Hawks jumped out to a 40-33 lead thanks to a barrage of 3-point baskets, two by Jorden Thornton (team-high 19 points) and one each by Brandon Hall (17 points) and Lamont McIntosh.

But the Pirates (15-12, 4-5) battled back to tie the game at 42 heading into the fourth quarter.

Matt Ulrich scored 7 of his game-high 22 points in the third quarter.

"The most important part of the game was the first three minutes of the third quarter," Yanule said. "We emphasized defensive energy, and I thought that was the difference."

It wasn't until Thornton hit a 3-pointer to give the Hawks a 54-50 lead with 1:26 left that Hoffman had much breathing room.

With 10 seconds remaining and holding a 56-53 lead, Hoffman's Terrius Davis made 2 free throws to ice the game.

"I just wanted to stay calm and make the free throws," said Davis, who finished with 11 points.

Thornton, who scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half, believes the Hawks are on the right track.

"We're finally starting to click," said the four-year varsity member. "The big thing is consistency. We know we can play with anybody but we just have to bring it every night."

"They made a few more plays down the stretch," said Palatine coach Eric Millstone. "It can be a cruel game when you're on the losing end, and exhilarating when you win. We didn't make the plays.

"They're well coached and have two really good offensive weapons. Sometimes (Thornton) makes it look like a video game. He makes so many shots."

Millstone thought Ulrich played well with many responsibilities.

"We needed him to score and he guarded their best player," Millstone said. "He's answered the challenge all year."

Charlie VanDyke scored 15 points for Palatine, connecting on 4-of-6 from behind the arc and making all 3 free throws.