Maine West slips past Palatine
Maine West's boys basketball team is feeling it.
After opening the Ed Molitor Thanksgiving Classic with a competitive loss to an outstanding York team, the Warriors bounced back Tuesday night, showing resilience and toughness in a seesaw 56-52 win over host Palatine.
"Our kids are coming along and you can see it in the eight quarters they've played," said Warriors head coach Tom Prokopij.
The Warriors never wilted in the face of Palatine's signature pressure defense thanks to the ball-controlling efforts of guards Justin Scholler (14 points) and sophomore Jared Pearson (9).
More than their point totals, they erased any ball-handling or defensive mistakes with their court vision and ability to find the open man or convert the opportunity basket.
Scholler did it in the third period, helping the Warriors break away from a 31-31 halftime tie with a driving hoop, a momentum-breaking steal, the conversion of 2 technical foul free throws and an immediate, backbreaking 3-pointer on the ensuing possession.
Pearson, in foul trouble, emerged in the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer to break a 45-45 tie while Scholler fed Ely Grimmer (14 points off the bench) for an important hoop and a critical, late 53-48 lead.
Their play fed into the philosophy Prokopij has been preaching to his charges, especially on defense.
"We want to force teams into tough two-pointers," he said.
Which the Warriors did while benefiting from 21 Palatine turnovers.
The Pirates, playing their debut game, shot fairly well, but the turnovers were killers.
"Definitely," said head coach Eric Millstone, who got good but foul-plagued production out of his football-sized front line of David Balanganayi (6 points) and Julian Campbell (13), the latter of whom personally rallied Palatine from behind with 9 of his team-high 13 points in the third quarter.
Ben Storm had 12 points, but all in the first half, while Marshawn Rayford (10) kept taking it at the hoop against the Warriors, trying to draw fouls and free throw attempts.
But Dan Kentgen's short jumper and Scholler's free throw down the stretch, both off the spread offense, sealed it for the Warriors.
"The effort is there," said Millstone.
"We can do a better job of getting ourselves into position," at both ends, which they'll try to do Wednesday against Chicago DuSable while Maine West has a date with a very athletic Stevenson team.