Vernon Hills 55, Wauconda 35

Host Vernon Hills tried to run away and hide from Wauconda in its North Suburban Conference boys basketball game Friday night.

The Cougars built an early 9-1 lead, but they only held a 22-20 advantage early in the third quarter of the Prairie Division battle.

That was as close as the Bulldogs would get as Vernon Hills went on a quick 10-point run en route to an impressive 55-35 NSC Prairie Division victory over Wauconda.

Vernon Hills senior center Kenny Rideout was a huge factor in the Cougars' victory as he scored 12 of his game-high 23 points in the first half.

"We played like a team and all of the guys do a lot of good things out there," said Rideout. "I think we played to our potential and we really stepped up our defense in the second half."

Rideout's inside basket capped Vernon Hills' 10-point run for a 32-22 lead before sophomore teammate Chris Morgan hit his third 3-pointer to give the Cougars their biggest lead at 44-28 with 6:51 to play.

"We like to pound the ball into Kenny, and when he gets the ball around the basket he can finish and he played a very nice all-around game," said Vernon Hills coach Matt McCarty. "In the third quarter we talked about matching our intensity from the first quarter and we built a nice lead in the second half."

Wauconda (2-3, 1-0) was led offensively by senior forward Eric Grozavescu with 13 points while teammate Connor Dimick chipped in 8 points.

Vernon Hills (2-3, 1-0) continued to pull away from the Bulldogs down the stretch as Rideout hit an inside basket assisted by Chris Weaver for a 50-29 lead with 4:56 to play.

After leading 11-3 after one quarter, the Cougars led 22-16 at halftime before taking a 40-26 advantage into the fourth quarter.

"We didn't have a lot of composure tonight and after we cut it to two (in third quarter) I think we turned it over three straight times," said Wauconda coach Rich Wolf. "But Vernon Hills had more energy than us. They were more competitive, and they were mentally prepared to play tonight."

Weaver added 6 points for Vernon Hills while teammate Brian Smith added 5 points.