Familiarity breeds rivalry between Grayslake N., Lakes

It's rivalry week for the Grayslake North boys basketball team - and not just because sister school Grayslake Central is coming up on the schedule Tuesday.

Tonight's home game is against Lakes at 7 p.m., and many students at Grayslake North actually see Lakes High School as a bigger rival. More of them went to grade school and junior high with the kids in that district.

Palombi Junior High School in Lake Villa, for instance, serves both Grayslake North and Lakes, not to mention Grant.

"We always have a lot of students show up to that game," Grayslake North coach Todd Grunloh said of the Lakes game. "The first year we were open, we had all the freshmen in the district here and so when the full split between us and Central took place, there was that connection with that class. And it was a pretty big deal to play Central. It still is, but ever since then, we've actually had more of a rivalry with Lakes because a lot of our kids know those kids better.

"We're excited about this game. It's our fourth meeting against Lakes and it's the first time we've faced them at home. We also get the chance to do something else we've never done before."

Grayslake North will be going for its first win ever against Lakes. The Knights (6-10 overall) will also be looking to put a stop to a five-game losing streak.

"I guess it can't be a true rivalry game until we beat them," Grunloh said of Lakes. "Our kids are pretty pumped for it. And they're ready to get back on track.

"We just need to start games stronger. We've been really struggling in the first quarter lately."

Grunloh says that in the Knights' last few games they have consistently gotten down by 10 points right out of the gate. Against Johnsburg on Saturday, Grayslake North hit just 1 of its first 20 shots before a layup found its way in just before halftime. The Knights trailed 21-6 at the intermission.

"We got it down to 7 points with about three minutes left, but we put so much energy into coming back that we just ran out of gas," Grunloh said. "We can't continue to do that."

Light on leadership: A history teacher, Todd Grunloh couldn't blame senior center Patrick Grim for wanting to join his advanced placement government class on a trip to Washington for the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama - even if it meant missing a game against Huntley the following day.

"It was so funny," Grunloh said. "Patrick came up to me and was like 'I'm sorry I'll miss a game, Coach. How many games will I be suspended?' I was like, 'Are you kidding? You won't be suspended. Of course, you've got to go to the inauguration. What a great opportunity.' "

But that's not to say that the Knights weren't missing Grim against Huntley. They lost 60-59, and while the 6-foot-6 Grim averages only 2 points per game, he brings much more to the table than that.

"It's so obvious that he's the emotional leader of our team," Grunloh said. "He brings a lot of intensity. He's a really good rebounder and defender and he gives us a lot of quality minutes. We definitely missed him during the Huntley game."

Down low from D.C.: So what was Patrick Grim's take on Inauguration Day?

The Grayslake North senior missed a basketball game last week to attend the historic event with his AP government class.

"Patrick kept commenting about the rock concert feel to it," Todd Grunloh said. "It was so loud, and there were so many people there. He took a lot of cool pictures that he showed to us.

"He also told us that all the kids who were there (from Grayslake North) definitely realized how lucky they were to take part in it."

No gimmes: It's a cliché, but there really are no off-nights in the North Suburban Conference this year.

Some well-traveled observers agree that this might be the most stacked the league has been. Ever.

With good teams and Division I-caliber players at every turn, even the top teams can't catch their breath. The conference schedule is not only a nonstop physical test, but it's also a taxing mental grind.

Consider Warren, which had 1 loss just a week ago. The previously top-ranked Blue Devils, now 15-3, have lost their last two games - 66-64 in overtime to Lake Forest last Friday and 69-58 to defending state runner-up Zion-Benton on Tuesday.

Warren boasts a major Division I recruit in guard Brandon Paul, who will be playing at Illinois next year. But Lake Forest and Zion-Benton are in the same boat with Matt Vogrich and Lenzelle Smith, respectively. Vogrich will be playing at Michigan next year, and Smith, just a junior, has already committed to Ohio State.

"It is definitely a challenge to be able to match up with that kind of competition game after game after game," Warren coach Chuck Ramsey said. "We've won six division games so far and only one has come by double figures. That adds up to some fatigue, mentally and physically."

Easing back in: After spending three straight days in the hospital earlier this month because of a mysterious intestinal infection, Stevenson guard Jeff Levitt is finally back with the team.

He became ill Jan. 11 and had been out until he made his first appearance at practice Monday.

"He's awhile away from being 100 percent," Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose said of Levitt, who has missed five games. "But he felt up to it energy-wise to come to practice. He did a few drills, nothing too rigorous. But even the drills he did do, we subbed him out regularly. This is just a feeling-out process until we see how much (strength and stamina) he has."

Putting it all together: Coming off an extended football season, Grant guard Garrett Olsen was a bit behind anyway.

Combine that with some struggles learning the Bulldogs' new defensive system, and Olsen had a rough start to the season.

"He was struggling early on," said first-year Grant coach Wayne Bosworth. "He was having trouble with some of the defensive rotations, some of the angles and that took away some of his playing time."

Olsen is forcing Bosworth to give those minutes back to him.

The senior has stepped up his defensive game, and it hasn't hurt that he's also been feeling it on the offensive end.

In a win over Wauconda last week, Olsen scored a career-high 17 points.

"Garrett has stepped it up over the last month, that's for sure," Bosworth said. "His defense has gotten a lot better. And he's probably been averaging double figures over that time. He's really been showing us what he can do."

Bad breaks: Add Grant to the list of Lake County programs that have been stung by key injuries this season.

The team's first two players off the bench - junior forward Bill Kahn and junior guard Thomas Gier - both recently suffered freak injuries that will likely keep them out for the rest of the season.

Kahn broke his hand in a junior varsity game when he fell down and rolled over it with all of his weight.

In the same game, Gier came down awkwardly with a rebound and ended up breaking his leg.

"That's been tough because that's really cut down on our rotation," Wayne Bosworth said. "In our last two games, we played six guys, and we're still pressing and expecting the guys to go hard. For six guys, that's tough to do, so we need to have some of our other (reserves) really start stepping up their games."

One bit of good news for the Bulldogs is that freshman forward Jerry Gaylor, who went down with a serious ankle sprain in the preseason and sprained it again around Thanksgiving, is finally getting back into the swing of things.

In a junior varsity game last week against Wauconda, his first game back, he scored 15 points and pulled down 7 rebounds.

Small victories: Round Lake did on Tuesday what a lot of teams have done against North Suburban Lake Division-leading Lake Forest this season: lose.

But for the 3-17 Panthers, who are experiencing growing pains with a roster that is nearly half freshmen and sophomores, sometimes a close loss to a good team can feel almost as good as a win.

Round Lake lost to Lake Forest 51-40. But first-year coach Howard Kravets was impressed with how well his team played in staying within 7-10 points the entire second half.

And that was with two starters - Jake Paulsen and David Windham - serving the first of a two-game suspension for violating team rules.

Paulsen is the team's leading scorer and rebounder (16 points, 8 rebounds per game) and Windham averages 8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, second best on the team.

"I'm really proud of our guys," Kravets said. "We were facing a very good team and we had guys out and yet our effort was very good. We were in the game, we held (Michigan-bound Matt) Vogrich to 16 points and (Lake Forest) played their top eight guys the whole game. I bet we got a lot of respect from the Lake Forest kids."

More importantly, the Panthers gained a lot of self-respect, which hasn't always been easy to come by in a difficult season.

"I think we took a step in the right direction," Kravets said. "We're playing a lot of young kids, but if we continue to put out this effort and get just a little more consistent, I think we'll pull some more (wins) out this season."

Mr. Consistent: One player Howard Kravets has been able to count on all season has been point guard Jon Martinez.

The junior scored 13 points, exactly his average, against Lake Forest on Tuesday and was a big reason the Panthers were able to stay within striking distance.

"He has been so consistent for us," Kravets said. "He plays hard, he guards the best player on the other team, he's the leader of the team. He just loves basketball. I would say he's been our MVP so far this season."