Stevenson won’t panic over slump
The last time Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose checked, the heavens were still in place.
“The sky is not falling,” Ambrose said. “Life has gone on.”
But when you’re in the midst of a six-game slide, as Stevenson is, it’s easy to feel that the world is spinning off its axis.
The Patriots, who are typically one of the top teams in the northern suburbs but are now 10-7, haven’t won a game since Dec. 29.
“We’re just trying to win a game at this point, we need to get back on track,” Ambrose said. “The good thing is, our kids are hanging in there pretty well, considering the results on the scoreboard. They’re working hard and they’re not giving up.”
Shooting slump
Perhaps the biggest reason behind Stevenson’s uncharacteristic six-game slide is its poor shooting performances.
Typically, the Patriots can count on shooting at least a 50 percent clip from the field each season. So far this year, they’re down around 30 percent.
“We just aren’t shooting the ball well at all, especially compared to earlier in the season when we were having success and winning games,” Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose said. “The weird thing is, it’s more than one kid or two kids, it’s pretty much everyone. Everyone is having a hard time with their shots.
“At this point, you just kind of figure that this is something we have to ride out. We’re practicing our shooting a lot in practice, but in the meantime, we’ve got to find other ways to win games when our shots aren’t going down, like by playing tough defense.”
Pick your poison
Last year, the strategy for how to defend Grayslake North was fairly clear cut: Stop Teddy Ludwick and you stop the Knights.
Ludwick was Grayslake North’s offensive cog and leading scorer, averaging more than 18 points.
But now that Ludwick has graduated, the Knights have a much different feel. And that has left defenses feeling a bit confused.
Three players (AJ Fish at 12.7 points per game, Danny Mateling at 12.3 ppg and Mark Hall at 11 ppg) average double figures while Zack Krupp is nearly getting a double-double with 9 points and 8 rebounds per game.
Such a mixed bag of fire power makes the Knights, who are 10-5 and winners of their last five games, difficult to defend.
“For the last few years, we’ve always had that player like Teddy who averaged in the high teens and could be that go-to guy,” Grayslake North coach Todd Grunloh said. “You love having that kind of player, but it kind of makes it easier for other teams to game-plan for you. Stop the one kid and you stop the rest of the team.
“Now the nice thing is that balance has really become a strength for us. We have so many options and it’s tough to match up against that if you’re a defense. We have different guys who can score and different guys who can step up and lead us in scoring almost every game, and that makes us tougher to plan for.”
Long layoffs
Grayslake North will be playing two or three games every week for the rest of the season.
But the Knights hardly mind the fast and furious finish. They’ve been stuck in some unusually long periods of downtime lately.
They had 12 days off in early December between a game against Grayslake Central and Lakes. Then, they had 11 days off between their last game before the holidays and their first Christmas tournament game at Grant.
And this week, because of their Fox Valley Conference bye, they finally emerged from an eight-day layoff between games.
“It’s kind of surprising that we’re still riding a (5-game) winning streak at this point with all the layoffs we’ve had,” Grayslake North coach Todd Grunloh said. “The thing we’ve found with all these practice days is that it’s best to give some days off. The guys need to break it up, they need to get some rests.
“As a coach, sometimes you’re not sure if that’s the best thing. You don’t want your guys to lose their conditioning or their focus. But it’s been the opposite. The guys come back after a day or two off with fresher legs and more intensity. They’re totally ready to go.”