Waukegan hangs on for victory at Mundelein
Mundelein's boys basketball team has been no stranger to coming from behind this season.
So when the Mustangs found themselves behind against the speed and quickness of visiting Waukegan on Tuesday night, no one panicked.
Neither, however, was Mundelein able to complete the comeback.
The Mustangs trailed by 14 points early in the third quarter and by 13 in the final five-plus minutes in the final quarter. They chipped away from there and were within range in the final seconds, but Waukegan held on for a 60-56 win on a late Jordan Brown free throw as Mundelein suffered its first NSC loss.
"The second half we played pretty well," said Mundelein coach Matt Badgley. "But you have to play 32 minutes of basketball. We didn't get off very well to start. We did a lot of watching, instead of a lot of playing. We had to gut it out and be tough. We were able to come back, but we made a lot of errors on offense and made some bad passes.
" It's hard to win games going against (Waukegan), as athletic as they are."
The Mustangs (6-3, 2-1) kept inching closer over the final few minutes, thanks to a combination of better backcourt trapping and shot-making. They trailed 52-39 with 5:15 left before going on a 17-7 run, during which Jeff Bikus (13 points, 12 rebounds) knocked down a 3 and then followed with a layup. Connor Enright then made a lay up to cut Waukegan's lead to 59-56 with 9.9 seconds left.
But the Bulldogs (4-3, 2-1) were able to protect the lead. On the inbounds pass, Jordan Brown was fouled quickly and then made the first of two free throws for the 4-point margin of victory. Waukegan had some struggles at the foul line, finishing 9-for-24.
"I wasn't nervous and I couldn't hear myself think because it was so loud," said Brown who finished with a game-high 18 points.
Ja'Dyn Brown added 13 and 11 boards and Bryant Brown chipped in with 12 points, 8 boards and 4 blocked shots.
Waukegan got off to a great start and held a 20-14 lead after the first quarter. Then Mundelein got in foul trouble early in the second quarter and found three of its starters on the bench, which played a role in the Bulldogs taking a 37-24 lead at the break.
Kyle Enright contributed 11 points off the bench, including three 3s, and Jeff Marcotte also added 11 points in the effort.
"We had a brutal time at the free throw line, and it's something that we spend a lot of time on," Waukegan coach Ron Ashlaw said.
Still, the winning outcome meant a lot to Waukegan, who certainly wasn't taking anything for granted against the Mustangs.
"Mundelein is an awfully good basketball team," Ashlaw said. "In a year when a ton of teams in Lake County, in our league and in our sectional, are all thinking if they play really well, catch a few breaks ... this could be a good year for a lot of different teams.
"Winning on the road in this league is always tough, it's great basketball and on the road against a program that clearly has excitement and energy right now. That will help (Mundelein) in a lot of games this year."