Downers Grove North was one of the best teams in the state the past two seasons. Jack Stanton bombed three-pointers and the Trojans’ lockdown defense defeated some of the best-known programs in the area.
The faces have changed, but the legacy of those teams lives on. Downers Grove North’s defense remains one of the area’s most consistently dominant units.
“Their intensity is hard to simulate,” Rolling Meadows guard Jack Duffer said. “They make it look like the middle is open then you try and get in and they converge. They are deep enough that you can’t take corner threes. And that is one of our strengths.”
The Trojans were as good as ever on defense on Saturday in Buffalo Grove, which makes Rolling Meadows’ 39-37 comeback win all the more impressive.
Downers Grove North (12-4) led by nine late in the third quarter. Lazar Lazarevic’s three-pointer with 6:55 left put the Mustangs (13-2) ahead for the first time in the game at 31-30 and they never surrendered the lead.
The Trojans had multiple shots on the final possession to tie or win the game but nothing fell.
Downers Grove North went more than 13 minutes without a field goal during one stretch of the second half.
“That’s where our inconsistency has come this season, on the offensive end,” Downers Grove North coach Jim Thomas said. “We didn’t take care of the ball. It’s my fault. I shortened the bench and screwed up the depth. Our guys were tired and when you are tired in high school you don’t execute and function the same and we had a dry spell.”
Rolling Meadows star Ian Miletic finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. It was a rough, physical game and at one point he even took an inadvertent kick to the head while on the ground.
“We didn’t know [the refs] would let us play that much but you have to adjust,” Miletic said. “They let a lot of things slide. It’s a good thing to see how you respond as a team.”
Miletic has signed with Marquette. The 6-7 senior is one of just two high-major seniors in the area, so he’s a marked man every game.
“He’s been getting that a lot but handled it real well,” Rolling Meadows coach Kevin Katovich said. “Last year it would have bothered him a little bit but now he just plays through it. That’s part of his maturity now.”
Lazarevic scored eight points off the bench. Rolling Meadows was ranked in the preseason and fell out after an early loss to Evanston. Now the Mustangs have won 10 of their last 11, the only loss coming to Metamora.
“I love this group,” Katovich said. “They are always ready to go. We have guys on the bench that could probably start. They accept the role of what they do. They are a real pleasure to be around. They make you want to work harder because of how hard they work.”
Bobby Grganto, a 6-6 senior, led Downers Grove North with 19 points.
The Trojans have been better than anyone expected this season and should continue to improve. This is the first season of major varsity minutes for most of the team, even though it is senior-heavy.
“In our losses, we are shooting 22% from three and we were 2 for 16 tonight,” Thomas said. “Throw in another two threes and they have to guard you out there and stretch it. There is another gear we can get to this season.”
