Scouting the North Chicago sectional championship

North Chicago Class 3A sectional final

North Chicago (23-5) vs. Grayslake Central (21-9)

When: 7:30 p.m. today

Radio: 98.3 FM-WRLR (stream broadcast at wrlr.fm)

Road to the sectional: Grayslake Central won its own regional by defeating Antioch 68-56 and Lakes 72-62, then defeated Gordon Tech 74-55 in the sectional semifinal; North Chicago won the Vernon Hills regional by defeating Richmond-Burton 79-58 and Johnsburg 75-72, then defeated Chicago Uplift 76-57 in the sectional final.

Probable starting lineups

Grayslake Central North Chicago

Player Ht. Yr. Pos. Player Ht. Yr.

Mike Brumm 6-0 Sr. G Michael Simpson 5-8 Jr.

Mike Brocious 6-3 Sr. G DeShawn Chambliss 6-0 Sr.

Josh Rappaport 6-3 Sr. F/C Joshua Wright 6-4 Sr.

Alex Anderson 6-3 Sr. F/G Keith Ford 6-0 Sr.

Kevin O'Rourke 6-3 Sr. F Chris Bryant 6-0 Sr.

Advancement: Winner advances to the Hoffman Estates (Sears Centre) supersectional at 6 p.m. Tuesday against the winner of the Riverside-Brookfield sectional final between St. Joseph and Chicago North Lawndale.

Scouting report: On your marks, get set, go. "We need to come with our track shoes on, and figure out how we're going to rebound with them," Grayslake Central coach Brian Moe said of his team's opponent tonight. Moe's squad is coming off its first sectional win in school history. The Rams can play up-tempo basketball - they average nearly 63 points per game - and have a pair of excellent 3-point threats in Mike Brumm (52 3s) and Alex Anderson (46), but getting into a face-paced game with the Warhawks might be a mistake. North Chicago always has great athletes who can pressure the ball and force turnovers, and this season's squad is no exception. The Warhawks were in a tight battle with Chicago Uplift before turning up the defensive pressure and dominating the fourth quarter, outscoring the Titans 31-10. This should be an entertaining game, with players like Anderson and North Chicago's Keith Ford being confident shooters who won't hesitate to launch from well beyond the arc. And, no "Josh-ing," both teams can rebound, as the Rams are led on the glass by Josh Rappaport (7 rpg), while the Warhawks boast Joshua Wright. A strength of both teams is depth. Both the Rams and Warhawks can go deep into their benches. "I think right now we have a very good team," Moe said after his Rams beat Gordon Tech, shooting 16 of 28 from the floor in the first half in building a 38-24 lead. "I'm hoping we're as good as North Chicago (tonight)." North Chicago boasts a pair of four-year varsity starters in Sacramento State commit Ford and DeShawn Chambliss, both of whom have scored more than 1,000 points in their careers. Ford is coming off a 28-point/8-rebound effort against Chicago Uplift. Brumm and Anderson are three-year varsity starters for the Rams. Anderson led the Rams with 19 points against Gordon Tech. The Rams got a huge boost off the bench from 5-foot-9 senior guard Tavaris Bell, a transfer from Waukegan who scored 11 points, including two 3-pointers, and grabbed 5 rebounds. Because Bell can also handle the ball, he could be in factor in tonight's game, as well.

- Joe Aguilar