Helmich feels better after Grant win

Toast, rice and eggs.

It just might be Jared Helmich’s pre-game meal for the rest of the season.

“I had the stomach flu and was throwing up all day on Friday,” the Grant forward said. “Toast, rice and eggs is pretty much all I ate.”

And yet, there was nothing boring or bland about Helmich’s game at Lakes on Saturday. Quite the opposite.

Despite spending all of Saturday morning and afternoon in bed trying to squash the stomach bug that was wreaking havoc on his insides, Helmich managed to wreak havoc inside the paint for the Bulldogs.

Known for his relentless offensive rebounding, Helmich looked like his usual self as he rolled up a team-high 16 points and 10 rebounds in carrying Grant to a 54-45 North Suburban Conference Prairie Division victory over host Lakes.

Grant improves to 13-6 overall and 7-3 in the Prairie. Lakes drops to 8-15 and 6-4 in the Prairie.

“Jared was running on fumes,” Grant coach Wayne Bosworth said. “He had been throwing up every hour. He didn’t play in our game Friday night (against Round Lake) and we weren’t sure he was going to be able to play today.

“He kept us in the game (with his rebounding).”

Helmich finished with 10 rebounds, 5 of which came on the offensive end. He also scored three of his baskets on putbacks.

“Rebounding killed us,” said Lakes forward Parker Blain. “(Helmich) was out-hustling us. He’s a big kid and he just doesn’t give up (on rebounds).”

Blain can relate.

He was Lakes’ hustle player on the night. Especially on the glass.

He helped the Eagles shoot out of the gates to a 15-9 first-quarter lead by scoring 8 first-quarter points. Like Helmich, he fought hard for rebounds. He had 5 in the first quarter alone and 14 on the game.

Blain also finished with a season-high 18 points.

“Parker has been playing really well for us lately,” Lakes coach Chris Snyder said. “But Grant took us out of our flow for a few parts of the ballgame. They play such an aggressive defense and I don’t think we were able to handle it very well at times.”

Most of those times occurred in the second half.

Lakes was ahead for most of the first half and took a 25-23 lead into the locker room at halftime.

But the Bulldogs kicked up their pressure defense in the second half and reeled off a 9-2 run to start the third quarter.

Grant would never fall behind again.

Overall, Grant forced Lakes into 19 turnovers and plenty of hurried shots. The Eagles hit just 37 percent of their field goals on the night.

“Things just jelled for us more in the second half. We didn’t feel like we were playing like a team in the first half,” Bosworth said. “It was a lot of individual, one-on-one stuff in the first half and we haven’t done that all year. We were completely out of our style.

“We did a much better job in the second half and we picked up our defense. Kyle Lombardino did a great job defensively on (Blain) in the second half. He stepped up to the plate.”

Besides Helmich, Ilya Kadushin also scored in double-figures for Grant. He had 11 points. Justin Bergeron added 10 points for Lakes.