Mustangs Sting Hornets With Fourth Quarter Rally

Winning conference games on the road, as any coach will tell you, is never an easy task.

The Downers Grove South boys basketball team learned that Friday night. The Mustangs rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Hinsdale South 58-52.

For most of the game, the Mustangs (4-1, 1-0) struggled against the Hornets (1-3, 0-1) and their ability to drive the ball into the lanes and score off of rebounds.

"We have to get better," Downers Grove South coach Jay Baum said. "To our credit, the kids found a way to win, but overall, we have to play better."

The Mustangs didn't seem to have an answer for the Hornets' two big men, junior center Brock Benson and senior forward Bryson Pitts, on offense or defense. Pitts scored eight first-half points from inside 5 feet and Benson held Downers South's 6-8 senior center, Ziggy Riauka, to three first-half points with tough defense.

The Hornets led 24-22 at halftime and extended the lead to 40-33 with a little under 6 minutes left in the fourth. The Mustangs struggled shooting the ball for most of the game, hitting a collective 8-for-34 shots through three quarters.

After a Downers South timeout, the Mustangs caught fire and stepped up the pressure on offense, drawing a number of costly fouls. Benson, Hinsdale South's defensive force down low, fouled out with 3:59 to go with the Hornets leading 42-38.

"When your best player doesn't play in the fourth quarter, that's really frustrating," Hinsdale South coach Vince Doran said.

With Benson gone, the game opened up for the Mustangs and they attacked the basket, putting the Hornets at a disadvantage without their defensive presence in the paint.

The Mustangs went 13-of-16 from the free throw line in the fourth. The key free throws came after forward Chris Chacko fouled out with less than a minute to go and the Hornets down 52-49. Doran was assessed a technical foul for arguing with the officials, giving the Mustangs an additional two free shots.

Junior forward Kevin Honn made them count, giving the Mustangs a 55-49 lead and putting the game out of the Hornets' reach.

The Mustangs scored 28 of their 58 points in the fourth quarter. Eighteen of them came in the final four minutes. Riauga had the best all-around game for the Mustangs with 11 points, eight rebounds and six blocks. Jamall Millison added 12 points team and five steals.

For the Hornets, junior Phil George led the way with 15 points. Pitts was close behind with 14 points and seven rebounds. Before fouling out, Benson had four points and eight rebounds.

Doran remains optimistic in spite of the tough loss.

"It's our fourth game with a young team," he said. "I think we'll be OK. They played intensely the whole game."

The Hornets go on the road Tuesday to play Glenbard West. The Mustangs return home for a game vs. Oak Park-River Forest on Saturday.