Everyone contributes as Rams ring up 92

With Andrew Sipes' basketball season done after the all-area junior forward tore multiple ligaments in his right knee during the Mundelein tournament, Grayslake Central will need others to step up their games.

The good news is, the Rams have options.

Seventeen.

That's how many players they suited up Thursday night against visiting Lakes, with only the knee brace-wearing Sipes unavailable.

Every player contributed in the Rams' 92-44 dismantling of Lakes in a nonconference game.

"We've got 18 kids and I wasn't going to keep anybody on the team this year that I didn't think was going to help us win a game either this year or next year," coach Brian Moe said. "I really think that at any one time all 17 kids now are going to step into a game and help us somewhere along the way. Now they get a chance because we got one (fewer) stud, star - whatever you want to call Andrew - taking up minutes."

Aaron Snyder scored a team-high 14 points coming off the bench for Grayslake Central (4-2), which won its third straight.

Snyder drained three 3-pointers in the opening quarter, as the Rams bolted to a big lead early against a winless Lakes team that was short-handed itself.

The Eagles (0-5) were missing 6-foot-4 Marcell KirkmanBey, who sat out his second straight game with a sprained ankle. Shooter Chris Boehm has been out since breaking his forearm in the Eagles' season opener.

Even if the Eagles were at full-strength, they probably wouldn't have been able to contain Snyder.

"They were playing that 2-3 zone the whole time, so we kept swinging it around and I was wide open every time," Snyder said.

Snyder hit all 3 of his opening-quarter 3-pointers from the left wing. He sank another left-wing 3 in the third quarter.

"Yeah, that's probably my favorite spot on the court - where I'm most comfortable," Snyder said.

"When he gets on a roll, he can make a lot of shots," Moe said. "He's got a green light to shoot (if he's open)."

Snyder wasn't the home team's only hot shooter in the first half. Mike Brumm scored all 12 of his points - on four 3s - in the opening 16 minutes.

The Rams were 10 of 20 from three-point range in the first half, helping them build a 54-30 lead.

"I can't complain about the percentage, but, my goodness, that's a lot of 3s to shoot in a half," Moe said. "One of the things that we've talked about a lot in practice and in our games is taking shots within our offense. They were good shots for our kids. We got a lot of kids that can shoot 3s."

Grayslake Central got 11 points each from Alex Anderson, Kevin O'Rourke, Josh Rappaport and reserve Matthew Murphy. Thirteen Rams scored.

Lakes, which trailed 26-11 after the first quarter, was led by John Androus with 20 points and 6 rebounds. Mike Scott had 11 points (two 3s) and Jack Olson pulled down 8 rebounds.

"Grayslake Central) put the defensive pressure on there in the second quarter and got a bunch of quick steals and scores," Lakes coach Brian Phelan said. "They're a 'tad' stronger than us and they were hitting their 3s in that second quarter to kind of put the game away."