Guerin 56, Grayslake Central 51 (OT)

Even after struggling for most of the second half, the Grayslake Central boys basketball team had a chance to win Wednesday's sectional final against Guerin College Prep at Antioch.

With the score tied at 44-44 and 9.2 second remaining, the Rams called a timeout. They inbounded the ball inside midcourt to junior Mike Brumm. Brumm drove on the right side and then passed the ball crosscourt to junior Kevin O'Rourke. O'Rourke's 15-footer hit the rim and bounced off to force overtime.

"Mike's been so dangerous with the ball this year," coach Tim Bowen said. "He got into the lane and they jumped on him pretty good. He (passed) it to (O'Rourke), and from where I was standing the shot looked good. I thought it was going in."

Instead, the Rams had to regroup for overtime.

In the extra session, Guerin scored the first seven points on its way to a 56-51 victory over the No. 2 Rams. This was Guerin's fourth overtime game of the season and first victory.

The No. 6 Gators (17-13) will play for the sectional title at 7:30 p.m. Friday against No. 1 North Chicago (24-4) at Antioch.

In the first quarter, Grayslake Central (22-7) was in complete control. The Rams worked the ball on offense until they found a high-percentage shot while the Gators took quick shots. Grayslake Central led 11-2 at the 3:01 mark and 15-7 after eight minutes.

"At one point, I turned to the bench and said I couldn't have envisioned getting off to a worse start," Guerin coach Tim Carlson said.

Grayslake Central was up 22-10 three minutes into the second quarter, but the Rams were held to one basket the rest of the half.

"It looked like we had them, but they're a good team and they got back in it," Brumm said.

Thanks in part to a 1-2-2 press, Guerin forced 4 consecutive turnovers during a 12-2 run. The Gators trailed only 24-22 at halftime.

"I thought Grayslake looked too comfortable; they were able to run their offense and get (good) looks," Carlson said. "We decided to mix it up with our press, and we threw in a couple of traps. Even if we didn't get a turnover, we were able to change the tempo."

Added senior Jonathan Bullock: "Our press forced them into some (bad) decisions. We were able to use our (athleticism)."

Grayslake Central squandered a chance to increase its lead in the third quarter when Guerin's Josh Downen was called for a technical foul. Senior Mike Davis missed both free throws, and the Rams did not score on their next possession.

The Rams overcame a five-point deficit in the game's final 1:19. The Gators did not help their cause by missing four consecutive free throws. They finished the game 12 of 21 from the line.

Grayslake Central junior Alex Anderson scored a team-high 17 points. Sophomore Andrew Sipes (12 points) and Brumm (11 points) also were in double figures.

Bullock (17 points) and Jordan Johnson (14 points) led the way for Guerin. Gators senior Jason Holmes blocked 4 shots.

The Rams shot 28 percent from the field.

"We made a coupe of mistakes in transition defense," Bowen said. "(On offense), we just couldn't finish."