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Conant downs Palatine in home opener

It was a sweet homecoming for Conant' boys basketball team Friday night in Hoffman Estates.

Playing in their first home game of the season, the Cougars showed that they have great familiarity with the baskets, converting 66 percent (23-of-35) from the field to roll past Palatine 59-45 in a Mid-Suburban West matchup.

"We took good shots and we made good shots," Conant coach Jim Malley said. "If we do that we will be tough to beat. We probably won't shoot at that high of a clip. But when you defend like we do, if you are anywhere near that, we are going to be tough."

Leading 23-20 at the half. Conant (4-4, 2-0) needed that hot shooting to stay ahead of Palatine. The Cougars nailed their first 5 shots, with 3 of those coming from outside the arc to inch ahead 36-32.

Palatine (2-5, 0-2) was able to stay close thanks to the play of Julian Campbell, who would finish with 21 points. The 6-foot-6 sophomore hit 3 buckets of his own, including a 3-pointer, to keep the Pirates close.

Conant was able to lead 39-34 after three quarters thanks to the play of Raj Mittal, who scored all of his team-high 15 points in the first 24 minutes. With the Pirates all but transfixed on Mittal, his teammates went to work.

"My shot has been feeling good and the team has been shooting really well," Mittal said. "The guys are willing to drive and be aggressive. Down the stretch, everyone was able to shoot the ball and willing to drive. I didn't need to score in the fourth quarter because we had so much balance."

Devon Ellis, Jonathan Kolev, and Anthony Wachal each drilled a 3-pointer as Conant hit its first 6 shots of the quarter. The Cougars turned that into a 17-3 run as they opened up a 56-37 lead with 4:35 to play.

"They looked really good and they shot the ball really well," Palatine coach Eric Millstone said of the Cougars. "Defensively we left a lot to be desired. It was a combination of us not having any defensive wherewithal and them taking advantage of it."

Ellis, who is a sophomore, scored a career-high 14 points in his first home game.

"It was my first real experience with the Friday night lights," Ellis said. "I had to come in and hit some shots and just work with the team."

Wachal finished with 13 points thanks to three 3-pointers and all his scoring came in the second half. Kolev added 11 points and he also had 3-pointers.

That balanced scoring pleased Malley.

"We had some guys really step up today," Malley said. "We need that kind of balance in the rest of the season."

Palatine's Tommy Swanson hit three 3-pointers to finish with 9 points for the Pirates.

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