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Mundelein denies Warren in OT

Mundelein has a lot riding on these days after taking the MLK Lake Zurich consolation championship on Monday.

On Wednesday night, the Mustangs were down 19 points in the third quarter on the road and forced overtime before pulling out a victory.

Mundelein got past host Warren 72-68 in OT in a North Suburban Conference boys basketball game in Gurnee.

Scottie Ebube led the Mustangs with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. Conor Enright added 14 points, Jack Bikus 13, Sam Eddy 11 and Andrew Gonzalez contributed with 9.

"Just the fight for the kids to keep going," Mundelein coach Matt Badgley said. "There were times in the first half that we can't do it for them. We kept telling them, but I was running out of answers. We knew what they needed to do, it was a matter of talking to them. They could've easily packed it in, but they didn't and that's the big attribute I give to them right now."

The comeback for Mundelein (14-7, 3-4) wasn't something to be unnoticed based on what the Mustangs have seen all season long.

"We redid our schedule and what we wanted to do was to play a lot of different basketball teams," Badgley added. "The way Warren plays, we've played at least six teams on our schedule that play that way. Different types of quickness and size and speed. I think the kids have the trust in the process. We just talk to the kids about the next play and it takes a long time for it to sink in. I wasn't sure it was going to sink in tonight. But in the middle of the fourth quarter, I turned to coach Pickens and said, 'we've fought and we could've easily folded up and cashed it in. We just fought and no matter the outcome, we just have to make sure that were proud about the kids for fighting.' "

Mundelein had lost to Warren in its own tournament back at Thanksgiving. But the Mustangs were able to recover from that and they had lost a chance to practice on Tuesday because of the weather. But they still found a way to pull out a victory.

Mundelein trailed Warren (10-11, 3-4) 39-26 at the halftime break. The Blue Devils scored 20 unanswered points in the first half.

Warren extended its lead out to 47-28 after Tavon McCarthy made a free throw of his team-high 18 points with 5:40 left.

Mundelein hit some shots and trailed 51-44 going into the final quarter.

In the fourth, Gonzalez had four fouls and hadn't scored all game but scored 6 of his 9 points in the final stretch.

"The past couple games it's been rough with shooting and mentally-wise," Gonzalez said. "Once we got to the end the coaches and my teammates had the trust in me. When I got into the game I was ready to hit the shots."

The game was tied at 63-63 with 10.8 seconds left. But Warren had the chance to win it in regulation only to miss a jump shot.

In the overtime, Ebube made a free throw that bounced off the rim three times before falling that put the Mustangs up for good 69-68 with 2:03 left.

Bikus hit a short jump shot with 1:07 remaining and Enright added a free throw with 1.2 seconds for the 4-point difference.

"We just let (Mundelein) push us into quick shots," Warren coach Jon Jasnoch said. "They started pressing us a little bit, we broke it easily. Press can work two ways, force turnovers or force shots. We just took quick shots and missed them. We had a lead and you have play like you have a lead."

Adnan Sarancic returned to the starting lineup after missing 4 games over the weekend with a strained hamstring and had 12 points and 7 rebounds for Warren. Juan DelaCruz added 11 and Hunter Subry also had 11.

  Warren's Hunter Subry drives in for a layup during their game against Mundelein Wednesday night in Gurnee. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Warren's Hunter Subry gets high-fives after hitting a 3-pointer during their game Wednesday night in Gurnee. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Warren's Cole Thompson, right, drives on Mundelein's Andrew Gonzalez during their game Wednesday night in Gurnee. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Mundelein's Conor Enright (4) blocks the shot of Warren's Tavion McCarthy during their game Wednesday night in Gurnee. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Warren's Nolan Mitrovic left, draws a charge from Mundelein's Christian Diaz during their game Wednesday night in Gurnee. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Warren's Tavion McCarthy, left, tries to steal the ball from Mundelein's Conor Enright during their game Wednesday night in Gurnee. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Mundelein's Conor Enright, right, drives on Warren's Tavion McCarthy during their game Wednesday night in Gurnee. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Mundelein's Jack Bikus shoots during their game Wednesday night in Gurnee. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Warren's Juan DelaCruz, right, passes over Mundelein's Jack Bikus during their game Wednesday night in Gurnee. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
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