Mundelein stars at United Center

Chicago hosted the NBA All-Star Game at the United Center last weekend.

Sunday, one of the best high school boys basketball teams in Lake County got its opportunity to flash its skills on the same court.

Mundelein didn't disappoint on the big stage, as the Mustangs bounced Moline 54-33, before the Bulls-Wizards game. Scottie Ebube and Trey Baker scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, as Mundelein improved to 26-4 with its fourth win in a row.

"It was a great atmosphere, and it was surreal when we first came out," said Mundelein guard Chris Rooney, who came off the bench to score 5 points, including a long 3-pointer. "It's an unbelievable stadium and an awesome place. [Hitting the 3] was a surreal moment."

The game was set up through Moline athletic director and former Mundelein coach Dick Knar.

"It's fun to play at (the United Center), and it's just a fun atmosphere," Mundelein coach Matt Badgley said. "Our kids played well. (Moline) was a good team. It was hard to get into good flows because you want to play everybody."

Mundelein built an 18-4 lead in the opening quarter. Baker scored 7 points and Conor Enright had 4 of his 11. Enright finished with 7 assists and 5 steals, as well.

The Mustangs extended their lead to 28-16 by the break. Moline (15-14) started the third quarter with an 8-2 run as Brock Harding hit a pair of 3-pointers, cutting its deficit to 30-24 with 5:01 left.

"That spurt in there, we forgot that we were playing the game to win," Badgley said. "We really took some tough shots and (Moline) came down and made some."

The Mustangs responded after a timeout, as Ebube (6 rebounds, 4 blocks) scored 6 points, while Baker knocked down a couple of 3s as part of a 13-4 run that had Mundelein up 43-28 at the end of the quarter.

"Mundelein was really good, but it was a good experience for our guys," Moline coach Sean Taylor said. "We played well in spurts, but they have a lot of weapons that we had a hard time matching up with."