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Boys Basketball: Mundelein gets by Libertyville in overtime
Tom Corning accepts the Hall of Fame plaque for his son, Matt Corning.| Michelle LaVigne~Sun-Times Media
On Mundelein’s Senior Night the Mustangs’ underclassmen propelled the team to 71-63 overtime win over rival Libertyville in the North Suburban Lake.
In a back-and-forth battle, it was the offensive rebounding and clutch free-throw shooting that proved to be the difference.
“When a team plays a zone like Libertyville does, it makes it really difficult for them to rebound,” Mundelein forward/center Sean O’Brien said. “We were able to stretch them out by shooting the three, and then use our length to grab the boards on the misses. Chino (Ebube) played awesome tonight.”
Mundelein (21-6, 8-3) is 3-0 in overtime games.
“We’re a good team in close games because we always maintain our composure, and never lose focus, O’Brien said. “Our coaches do a great job of putting us in a position to win, and so far we’ve been able to execute.”
Libertyville (14-9, 4-6) came out firing early and led the entire first half, but the Mustangs refused to go away. After trailing 26-23 at halftime, Mundelein grabbed its first lead, 32-30, after O’Brien helped force a turnover, and then leaked out for a fast-break dunk that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
With the Mustangs leading 55-52, Libertyville senior Griffin Pils brought the ball over the half-court line and drained a 24-foot three-pointer with 22 seconds remaining to force the overtime.
Pils remained aggressive to start the extra period before eventually fouling out with 18 points. Ellis Matthews led the Wildcats with 21 points, while Luke Mathewson added nine.
Mundelein was led by Robert Knar’s 18 points, which includes seven points on free-throws in overtime. Ebube and O’Brien finished with 15 and 14 points respectively.
“Last year we beat them on their Senior Night on their home court, so we knew they were going to come out extra motivated tonight to get revenge, but we weren’t going to let that happen,” O’Brien said. “We made sure we sent our seniors out with a win.”
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