Grcic, O’Brien carry LZ to victory
Mirko Grcic poured in a career-high 29 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and Jeff O’Brien also notched his career best in points with 20, as Lake Zurich’s boys basketball team wrapped up play in the Palatine tournament with a 69-59 win over Wheaton North on Saturday.
Doug Murphy chipped in 8 points and 11 rebounds for Lake Zurich, and also took 4 charges.
“I was just really proud of our effort and aggressiveness,” said coach Billy Pitcher, whose Bears (2-2) overcame a 31-30 halftime deficit.
Lake Zurich got timely second-half 3-pointers from seniors Justin Peterson and Zach Johnson and 4 big free throws down the stretch by JD Parcheta.
Ryan Jordan led Wheaton North with 21 points. Sam Otto and Andrew Zellis added 12 and 9, respectively.
“They are a real good team with Jordan, Otto and Zellis all averaging over 13 a game,” Pitcher said. “I thought we were able to match their toughness on both ends.”
McHenry 51, Carmel 45: Sophomore guard Ian Kristan scored a team-best 11 points but the Corsairs played from behind the whole way in a tournament loss at Crystal Lake Central.
Brandon Motzel had 9 points for Carmel (1-2).
Antioch 50, Perspectives 46: At Maine West, William Waschow scored 16 points, including a 3-pointer, and Jim White earned his first win as head coach of the Sequoits.
Karl Nettgen added 12 points for Antioch (1-3). Emery Paramski and Anthony Formella had 8 points apiece in the win.
Grant 63, Grayslake North 49: At Johnsburg, the Bulldogs wrapped up the Johnsburg/Richmond-Burton tournament by winning their third game in a row.
Allen Lewis’ game-high 19 points led Grant (3-1), while Jared Helmich added 14 points.
Grayslake North (2-2) received 15 points from Mark Hall and 12 from Danny Mateling.
Wauconda 55, Johnsburg 44: At Johnsburg, Kyle Ryan had 17 points, including four 3-pointers, 4 rebounds and 3 steals, as the Bulldogs wrapped up the tournament with their second straight win.
Wauconda (2-2) also got big games from Matt Mead (13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks), Kodey Thomas (8 points) and Austin Swenson (8 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds).
Grayslake Central 62, Uplift 49: At Mundelein, Jordan Taylor and Casey Boyle each scored 21 points, leading the Rams to their second straight win.
Tyler Smith had 8 points for Grayslake Central (2-2).