advertisement

Strong finish vs. Grayslake Central has Lake Zurich buzzing

There were two buzzer-beating shots in this nonconference battle.

For Lake Zurich, sophomore Will Tucker beat the third-quarter buzzer with a tough fadeaway.

More impressive was the first-quarter version, as Grayslake Central junior Tony Crews delivered a 3-pointer from downtown.

"He hit that one from the volleyball line," said Lake Zurich forward Peter DicCerbo. "And we had two guys on him."

Crews landed five 3-pointers and led all scorers with 25 points. But Grayslake Central (5-4) watched as the Bears went on a 9-0 run to open up the fourth quarter and posted a 66-57 win at Lake Zurich.

"We've been in pretty much every game, said Grayslake Central coach Kosta Kougias. "We had won four in a row. Yes, Crews is playing well, but we also have great senior leadership."

Grayslake Central had a lead late in the second quarter on a reverse shot from Jack Spaulding (14 points).

"This was a good test for us because this is a team in our sectional," Kougias said.

Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher knew his Bears were in for a battle with the Rams.

"They are good," Pitcher said. "They bring a lot - all five who can shoot the 3."

On a 3-point play from Crews, it was knotted at 38-38.

And then the Bears' Ryan Kutsor began to hit the boards. He had 4 consecutive rebounds, and Tucker's tough shot put the Bears up 47-41 heading to the fourth quarter.

"I think we got hands in their faces," Kutsor noted. "I thought we played pretty good defense on them."

Again, the fourth quarter decided this contest. DiCerbo had 4 of his team-high 20 points in the early going, while Grayslake Central didn't land a field goal until the final two minutes.

The Rams' Alec Novak (10 points) had a 5-point run in the final minute. JR Cison (12 points) nailed 4 straight free throws to salt the game away for the Bears.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.