Mustangs skid by West Side boys

GARY | Munster coach Mike Hackett knew what to expect going to West Side.

"It's always a dog fight when you come to Gary West Side and play Gary West Side," Hackett said. "(West Side coach) Winston (Garland) has those kids playing extremely hard."

The Cougars gave Hackett's team all they could hangle Thursday night. The Times No. 5 Mustangs squeaked by with a 56-50 win against No. 10 West Side.

Nate Bubash and Mike Schlotman made plays in the final minutes to give Munster the advantage. With just more than four minutes left and West Side up 40-39, Schlotman scored five consecutive points.

"Schlotman was huge at that point," Hackett said.

After Denzel Casson stole the ball and layed it in to take the lead back for the Cougars, Bubash notched a three-point play and then made a critical steal at 2:10 to seal the victory.

"I was happy to get the ball," Bubash said. "I made a few good moves, a few good plays but it could've been anyone out there."

"I was proud that the kids were able to maintain that lead," Hackett said. "They learned from that loss against Merrillville."

The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair marked by strong Cougar defense and the Mustangs inability to do anything in the paint.

Munster (14-3) jumped in front in the second quarter. The Mustangs opened the frame with a 15-3 run featuring three Craig Dedelow 3-pointers.

"They're going to make shots," Garland said. "We knew that."

West Side's (6-7) poor shooting and sloppy passing was as much to blame for streak.

"You've got to make some shots, and we just didn't at that point," Garland said.

Munster expanded its lead to as many as 15 in the third period but the Cougars came back in the fourth.