Crystal Lake Central adjusts, tops Grayslake Central

Strategy-wise, Crystal Lake Central made a tiny adjustment from the last time it played Grayslake Central.

Which was not meant as an insult to the Rams 5-foot-7 Jordan Taylor.

“The first game we focused more on him,” Tigers coach Rich Czeslawski. “This game we focused more on the bigs. There’s not much you can do (about Taylor). He’s a heck of a player. He’s quick and he’s just good.”

Czeslawski’s boys basketball team is good too.

So good, in fact, that Crystal Lake Central moved into sole possession of first place in the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division on Thursday night by routing host Grayslake Central 79-68, despite Taylor’s game-high 27 points and 8 steals.

Crystal Lake Central (16-4, 6-1) slid a half game up on idle Grayslake North (5-1), while defeating Grayslake Central (10-9, 5-2) for the second time this month.

The Rams, who saw their season-best six-game winning streak come a screeching halt, had not lost since falling 52-46 at Crystal Lake Central on Jan. 5.

The Tigers, who opened up a 21-point lead late in the third quarter, were led by junior guard Chase Cane’s 18 points, including three 3-pointers. Crystal Lake Central’s duo of 6-6 Jake Chrystal (9 rebounds) and 6-7 Matt Gleixner (6 boards) added 15 and 14 points, respectively, and Joe Pijanowski chipped in 13.

“That’s probably the most disappointed as a head coach I’ve been,” Grayslake Central coach Brian Moe said. “Their kids came out and took it to us. They played harder, they played more aggressive, and they played more physical. We like to think we’re a 6-9, 6-7, power basketball team — and they just punched us in the mouth over and over again. We did nothing to stand up for ourselves.”

Grayslake Central’s 6-6 C.J. Stempeck had 11 points and 9 rebounds, and 6-5 Tim Abbott contributed 8 points coming off the bench before fouling out. But 6-8 Casey Boyle was held without a field goal and scored just 2 points.

“It’s easy to take away your bigs when your guards aren’t patient and they’re not strong with the ball,” Moe said. “I was pretty disappointed in the effort our kids gave, due in no small part to the defensive pressure that Crystal Lake Central put on us.”

“Crystal Lake Central has always presented us problems with them being able to match our size,” Stempeck said. “They use that to their advantage and they just play a lot more aggressively than what we’ve seen most of the year.”

Up 31-24 at halftime, Crystal Lake Central outscored Grayslake Central 22-10 in the third quarter, sinking 10 of 17 shots, including 3-pointers by Chrystal and Cane.

“It’s fun to watch us play when we get like that,” Czeslawski said. “We share the ball and we play good defense.

An angry Moe called timeout with 1:53 left in the third after another transition basket had the visitors up 47-30.

Moe screamed at his players and slammed his clipboard — and the Rams’ intensity picked up after that. But it was too late.

Taylor scored 14 of his points in the fourth, when the Rams’ 34 points matched their total through three quarters. Taylor, whose point total bettered his season best by 1, scored most of his points on aggressive drives to the basket.

“If we had played with that effort and that energy early, he would have had a better 27,” Moe said. “I don’t know if it was a good 27 for us.”

“We got to use this as a learning experience,” Stempeck said. “We have to see what they did to take us (the bigs) away because it’s really the first time we’ve been stopped in a month. We have to watch this game, listen to what the coaches have to say and build on it.”