Rams get a lift over Carmel

The Grayslake Central boys basketball team knows what will likely happen when junior Josh Rappaport is inserted into the game.

"We call him instant offense," coach Brian Moe said. "He'll put the ball up and score."

Now, he is receiving additional opportunities.

Rappaport has taken full advantage of his promotion to the starting lineup, which occurred after junior Andrew Sipes sustained a knee injury earlier in the Mundelein Thanksgiving Tournament.

Rappaport scored 13 points Monday to help Grayslake Central to a 60-44 victory over Carmel. He scored 6 points in the first quarter, helping stake the Rams to an 18-6 lead.

"Starting is a lot more exciting," Rappaport said. "I'm more comfortable and I get a better feel for the game."

Grayslake Central (3-2) should know more about the status of Sipes once the results of his MRI come back.

Rappaport, 6-foot-3, has always been a known quantity on offense. The key for him is to raise his level of play on defense.

"He doesn't have the best lateral quickness, but he can get to where he needs to be," Moe said. "When he can get to the point where he's playing Grayslake style defense, he will be a great player for us."

After a slow start, Carmel (1-4) played some of its best basketball in the second quarter. Consecutive jump shots by junior Patrick Cox drew the Corsairs to 23-18 with 3:26 before halftime.

"It's encouraging because it shows we're capable of really good things," Carmel coach John Ryan said. "We have to take those stretches and make them longer."

Earlier in the quarter, junior Jonathan Huisel had a key 3-point play. Huisel was 7 of 7 from the line and had a team-high 11 points.

"He hustles and does a lot of good things for us," Ryan said. "He works hard 100 percent of the time and we're trying to get all our kids to do that."

Grayslake Central closed the half on an 8-2 run. The Rams' ability to force turnovers led to points in transition throughout the last two quarters.

"The kids work hard to get turnovers and they should reward themselves by getting to the basket," Moe said.

Added senior Karl Jansson: "We were excited about our team defense."

Moe said this was a good way to conclude the tournament.

"I feel a lot better about where we are," he said. "I (like) our offense and our defense came around a lot in the second half."

Mundelein 83, Maine West 63: It was no fun for senior Tyler Piasecki to miss Mundelein's season opener Nov. 24 with a bone bruise in his left wrist.

"I was mad," he said. "I tried to get back as fast as I could."

Piasecki played in Mundelein's next three games, but his coming out party was reserved for Monday. Piasecki came off the bench to make 4 of Mundelein's 11 3-pointers as the Mustangs defeated Maine West 83-63 in their own Thanksgiving Tournament.

Piasecki finished with 16 points. He was joined in double figures by junior Ben Brust (18 points), senior Kevin Barber (16 points) and sophomore Ryan Sawvell (14 points).

"Tyler's just getting back into it and I was happy to see him come out of his shell and hit 3s," coach Richard Knar said. "He can really shoot the ball. He's a main guy for us. It's like we have six starters."

Mundelein broke the game open in the second quarter. The Mustangs outscored Maine West 30-10 in the second quarter to take a 47-26 halftime lead. Mundelein played some of its best defense during this stretch.

"We were able to pressure them and get turnovers," Barber said. "We get energy off that."

Added Knar: "That's what we can do if we're communicating on defense and our rotations are correct. When we do that, we can put points up in a hurry."

Maine West junior Alex Samuelson scored 21 points. Senior Sebastian Stasiakiewicz hit all 3 Maine West 3-pointers.

After losing its first two games, Mundelein closed the tournament with three consecutive victories. This included a 67-65 victory Saturday over previously unbeaten Loyola Aca demy.

"I knew we would struggle early with so many young kids playing," Knar said. "I was proud of our progression each game."