Grayslake Central wears down Crystal Lake Central
Visiting Crystal Lake Central was playing catch-up basketball all night Friday at Grayslake Central.
The Rams built a 15-10 lead after one quarter, and they gradually pulled away from the Tigers for a 72-51 victory in the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division opener for both teams.
Grayslake Central (7-6, 1-0) had four players score in double figures as the Rams effectively ran the floor throughout the contest.
The Tigers (3-11, 0-1) could not contain Rams senior Andrew Sipes, who scored 11 of his game-high 17 points in the first half.
Senior Josh Rappaport (12 points) hit a very difficult reverse layup going along the baseline and underneath the basket for the hosts' biggest lead at 33-18 with 3:05 left in the second quarter. The Rams took a 33-22 lead into halftime.
"We wanted to speed it up when we had a chance, but also stay patient when we didn't," Rappaport said. "We had a strong balanced attack and that is always a plus."
The Rams continued to build their lead in the third quarter as sophomore Jordan Taylor (10 points) scored on a steal late in the period for a 49-32 advantage.
The Tigers did cut the gap to 54-43 on a 3-point play by sophomore Chase Cane early in the fourth period. But a driving basket by Darius Dacanay (8 points) with 5:15 to play gave the Rams a commanding 64-43 lead.
"We did a real nice job getting out defensively to pressure the ball and that led to a lot of turnovers," said Rams coach Brian Moe, whose team hit 11 of 16 free throws. "We did a good job looking up the floor and making some cross-court passes."
Six-foot-6 junior C.J. Stempeck (13 points) will remember his final basket of the contest - he threw down a powerful two-handed dunk to make the score 66-46 with 4:37 remaining.
CLC was led by junior guard Joe Pijanowski, who scored 10 of his team-high 14 points in the first half. Senior Mike Fior also hit double digits for the Tigers with 12 points, while teammates Jake Chrystal and Cane each scored 8 points.
"Crystal Lake Central is a good team and they do a nice job getting their open looks," said Moe, who used all 15 of his players. "We've been playing a lot of kids all year and tonight was no different. A lot of times our depth just wears people down."