Hersey wins in OT; Hoffman edges Grant
Hersey's boys basketball team went overtime to earn some extra time in the Class 4A boys basketball state tournament.
The Huskies, competing in a regional quarterfinal Monday at Maine South, came up with a 58-55 victory over Von Steuben, seeded No. 20 in the Maine East sectional.
Hersey, the No. 14 seed, advances to a 6 p.m. Tuesday matchup against the regional host Hawks, seeded No. 4.
Rocco Ronzio paced Hersey with 19 points, including four 3s. Jace Coffaro finished with 11, and Matt Hanushewsky had 9.
Both Coffaro and Hanushewsky had one 3 apiece - and both were crucial. Hanushewsky's fell at the buzzer to get Hersey into the overtime, and Coffaro's helped the Huskies get the lead during the OT.
Joe Nugent hit 1 of 2 free throws in OT to put Hersey ahead of good, and Ronzio helped protect the lead by hitting a pair of free throw.
The outcome was the result of a big comeback, as Hersey trailed 28-15 at the half. The Huskies still trailed by 18 points in the third quarter and by 14 in the fourth quarter, and they never had a lead until overtime.
Hoffman Estates 57, Grant 55: Two weeks ago, Grant rallied from a 17-point deficit to win a nonconference game at Hoffman Estates.
On Monday, the No. 15 Hawks returned the favor, coming back in the fourth quarter to post a 57-55 victory over No. 17 Grant in a first-round game in the Lake Zurich sectional.
Grant led 51-45 midway through the fourth quarter after senior Michael Huff hit 3 straight 3-pointers. Hoffman got 3-pointers from Marquez Woodard and Rudra Patel to tie it up, then Shelden Barnett-Morales followed in his own miss off a turnover to put the Hawks ahead 53-51.
Hoffman Estates eventually built a 57-51 lead on James Allen's layin. Huff hit his fourth 3-pointer of the fourth quarter to bring the Bulldogs within 3. Grant got the ball back with 32 seconds left and couldn't get Huff an open look. The Hawks fouled Grant's Torren Curry with 1.7 seconds on the clock, before he could launch a 3-pointer.
Shooting the bonus, Curry hit the first free throw, missed the second intentionally and got his own rebound, but couldn't finish through contact and time expired.
Huff finished his high school career with 25 points, hitting 5 of 9 shots from 3-point range. Patel led Hoffman Estates with 22 points.
Grant closes the season at 13-15.
Schaumburg 47, Mundelein 43: In regional quarterfinal play at Buffalo Grove, the 19th-seeded Saxons knocked off the 14th-seeded Mustangs to earn a 7 p.m. Tuesday matchup against the No. 3 seed in the Lake Zurich sectional, Stevenson.
Mundelein (14-16) was led by 13 points from Tommy Marcotte.
The Saxons (10-18) were paced by a game-high 18 points from Michael Hodges.
Hoffman Estates 57, Grant 55: The regional host Hawks, seeded No. 15 in the Lake Zurich sectional, get another chance to play at home after surviving against the 17th-seeded Bulldogs.
Hoffman Estates meets No. 1 seed Lake Zurich at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Wheeling 79, Elk Grove 37: Senior Michael Best drained six 3s and finished with a game-best 27 points to help the Wildcats (8-19) roll in regional quarterfinal play at New Trier.
Dylan Ingebrigtsen paced the Grenadiers with 14 points.
Wheeling, the No. 16 seed in the Maine East sectional, next faces No. 2 New Trier in semifinal play at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The subsequent game at the same site is No. 7 Prospect against No. 10 Glenbrook North.