Boyle, Grayslake Central stand tall

Casey Boyle was holding up the Class 3A regional plaque for the rest of the Grayslake Central fans to see Friday night.

Thanks to his stature, everybody got a good look.

Fifth seed Grayslake Central held off host and No. 4 seed Vernon Hills 50-39.

The Rams (17-12) next face No. 1 North Chicago in the Ridgewood sectional semifinal at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Boyle stood tall, blocking a shot in each quarter, scoring 12 points and pulling down 8 rebounds. Tim Abbott led the Rams with a game-high 15 points.

"I'm excited for this win and for the whole school," said Boyle, who stands 6-feet-8. "I wanted to come out this year and assert my dominance in the paint.

"Once C.J .(Stempeck) got sick with mono, Tim (Abbott) and I had to take over, and that's what we did."

North Chicago (14-13) rolled past host Gordon Tech 81-53 on Friday to capture a regional title.

Grayslake Central started out quickly, dominated the play early and opened up a 12-6 advantage through the first quarter.

"We had a mature effort from our kids," Grayslake Central coach Brian Moe said. "We played smart and nobody was like Superman. You don't do what you can't do, and just take what defenses and offenses give you."

The Rams maintained their balanceand led 23-11 entering the second half.

In the third quarter, Grayslake Central went on a 9-2 run. Abbott made 1 of 2 free throws and extended the lead to 32-13 with 3:30 remaining.

But something changed in the late stages of the quarter. Darren Hoveydai (4 points) came off the bench and provided a steal and layup to cap off a 6-1 spurt which left Vernon Hills down 33-19 going into the final quarter.

The Cougars (17-11) kept clawing. DaVaris Daniels, who scored 11 of his 12 points in the second half, hit a short jumper as part of a 17-9 run, and the Cougars trailed 42-36 with 1:15 left.

"We talked about the pressure, and it's something we haven't seen all year," Moe said. "If you told me we would get out of here being up 10 for the majority of the game. I would have you told you that would be nuts."

The Rams closed the door with an 8-3 run in the final minute by making free throws, and they also got an emphatic dunk from Abbott.

"Give credit to Grayslake Central, as their pressure defense caused a lot of trouble," said Vernon Hills coach Matt McCarty of the first half. "I begged (the team ) 'Are we going to have a better effort in the second half?' We did get the lead down to 6 twice and we didn't have things go our way."

Brian Berzanski shared team-high scoring honors with Daniels, contributing12 points and 8 rebounds for the Cougars.

"There's always a chance to have a comeback," Berzanski said. "You have to keep on going and never quit at it."