Dahlstrom, Grayslake Central nip Hampshire

No word on whether Morgan Dahlstrom drove the bus home.

The junior center did just about everything else for Grayslake Central's girls basketball team Friday night as the Rams defeated Hampshire, 38-35.

Dahlstrom had 22 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks, and scored the winning points on a baseline drive with just under a minute left in the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division matchup in Hampshire.

Sara Finn's 3-pointer gave Hampshire a 35-34 lead with 1:07 to play. It was the Whip-Purs' first lead since 5-4. But Dahlstrom got behind the defense and drove for the go-ahead score.

After a Hampshire turnover, the Whips were unable to find someone to foul for more than 30 seconds. Lizzie Panzica finally grabbed Dahlstrom with one-tenth of a second left, and Dahlstrom converted both free throws for the final margin.

“She had a few more points tonight than usual,” said Central coach Steve Ikenn. “But when you're doing well, you keep getting the ball to the kid who's hot.”

Jenny Dumoulin scored 13 points for Hampshire (8-12, 3-5), including 7 in the fourth quarter, and Finn finished with 8.

“The last minute hurt us,” said Hampshire coach Ed Haugens. “The girls played hard. But in the end it came down to understanding the game of basketball and what we need to accomplish. We didn't do that. When you don't foul with 15 seconds left, that's another thing. There's things we need to understand that we're not understanding.”

Spalding added 5 points for Grayslake Central (13-9, 5-1), including a key 3-pointer with 5 minutes to go after Hampshire had tied the game at 27.

Panzica finished with 5 points and 6 rebounds for Hampshire, and Emma Benoit had 5 points before fouling out.

Hampshire led 5-2 early, but the Rams scored 7 straight points to take the lead. The Whip-Purs pulled even several times, but regained the lead only once.

Led by Dahlstrom, the Rams maintained a rebounding edge, and took advantage with second-chance points.