Grayslake North hangs on against Lakes

Katie McGrath received some unexpected, extended foul-shooting practice Tuesday night.

She and her Grayslake North basketball teammates got a potentially greater experience:

Protecting a large lead.

Grayslake North saw a 26-point advantage in the third quarter cut to seven with less than four minutes left in the fourth, but thanks largely to McGrath's free-throw shooting, the Knights held off Lakes 64-53 in a second-place bracket semifinal of the Northern Illinois Holiday Classic at Woodstock.

Grayslake North (4-10, 3-1) captured its third straight win in the tournament, while denying Lakes (5-8, 2-2) a third victory in a row. Both teams had won twice Saturday.

“We gave them hope,” Knights coach Jim Sarver said of the Eagles. “They played really, really hard so they got themselves back into the game. They weren't going to give up. Which is a real credit to them. But I think it's a credit to my kids, not having won a lot, to be able to stick with it and keep playing hard.”

McGrath worked hard at the stripe. In the final 3:35 of the game, she shot an amazing 16 free throws, sinking 10, as Lakes continually fouled her in its attempt to catch the Knights.

“It felt like never-ending,” said McGrath, the Knights' junior point guard, who led all scorers with a season-high 21 points.

“I shot more free throws in that game than in our practices.”

For the game, McGrath went 13 of 20 from the line (65 percent).

“I'm usually 100 percent,” she said. “But I get short sometimes, and that's what got me today.”

Grayslake North, which plays Woodstock North at noon today in its tourney finale, played a great first half in building a 36-14 lead. The Knights scored baskets running their offense, as well as in transition, and shot 15 of 31 from the floor.

“I think my kids are starting to understand how to play to start a game,” Sarver said. “I think you see that we're getting better. That was my goal on Nov. 1.”

Lakes, meanwhile, committed 17 turnovers in the first half and spotted Grayslake North a 16-8 lead after one quarter.

“In the first half we came out with no emotion or energy,” said coach Pete Schneider, whose Eagles play at 1:30 p.m. today at Woodstock. “I guess we needed whatever music Grayslake North listened to on the way to the game, because they came out ready to play and we did not.”

Two free throws by Brianna Leon had Grayslake North up 40-24 with 6:11 left in the third quarter, but Lakes responded with a pull-up basket by Evan Morris and eventually closed the quarter with a 13-0 run.

A 3-pointer by Grayslake North's Allie Ceglarek early in the fourth ended the Eagles' run.

“They relax,” Sarver said of his young players. “They think we're the only team that's going to keep playing.

“Lakes started figuring out what we were doing defensively. My kids needed to adjust a little bit better than (Lakes) did.”

When Lakes' Terese McMahon flipped in a shot with 3:38 left in the fourth, the Eagles were within 47-40. But McGrath was fouled three seconds later, beginning what would the first of eight trips to the line the rest of the way.

“We're getting a lot of leads this year,” McGrath said. “We're just not used to (winning). We have to keep this momentum.”

Leon (12 points) and Jordyn Bowen (12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals) also scored in double figures for Grayslake North. Brooke Sauer grabbed 9 rebounds, and Ceglarek added 7 points and 6 assists.

Ashlee Cunningham led Lakes with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 7 steals. Katie Brinser added 10 points, and McMahon had 9 rebounds.

“We are struggling to find a combination of players that work,” Schneider said. “We cannot continue to give up 60-65 points and expect to win.”