Carter on pace to break Round Lake scoring record

In a five-win season, it's sometimes hard to find positives.

But the 5-14 Round Lake boys basketball team is about to celebrate a major event that is worthy of plenty of smiles and cheers.

Any day now, possibly tonight, senior guard Juddon Carter will become the school's all-time leading scorer. He needs just 19 points to break the 39-year-old record of 1,335 career points set by Bill Swieton in 1973.

Carter and the Panthers host Wauconda tonight in a North Suburban Conference Prairie Division game.

“This will definitely be a great accomplishment for Juddon and I'm so happy for him,” Round Lake coach Jim Roberts said. “It couldn't be happening to a better kid either. Juddon has been such a great ambassador for our program for four years.”

Carter was promoted to varsity as a freshman and has been a focal part of the Panthers' offense ever since. His long-range precision is his biggest weapon.

Surprisingly, the record-chasing Carter doesn't have the school-record for 3-pointers in a game, which is eight. But he's come close many times. He had 7 three-pointers in a 27-point performance against Grant earlier this month and has drained 6 three-pointers in a game multiple times over his career, including in his season-high 33-point outburst against Johnsburg over the holidays.

“Juddon is a great shooter,” Roberts said. “And a lot of times, he has people face-guarding him. He's definitely the focus of most defenses. But he can still hit shots and lately he's been shooting the ball really well.”

Early this season, Carter was having a hard time finding his shooting touch. But he shot himself out of that and is now averaging about 15 points.

“There was talk about the record at the beginning of the season and I think Juddon may have felt some pressure to be this big scorer for us. It seemed like sometimes he was really anxious and pressing to score,” Roberts said. “But I think he settled in and changed his mentality and just relaxed and he's been playing like himself ever since.

“I think that Grant game (27 points) was probably the best game of his career. He went about his business and he was aggressive against a very good team. But he was also patient. Instead of running to the ball, he waited for things to develop.”

Roberts says that Carter is hoping to continue playing in college and is currently getting looks from all kinds of junior colleges.

Talk of the town

There will be more on the line than usual in tonight's crosstown rivalry game between Grayslake North and Grayslake Central.

Besides all the hype and one-upping displays of school spirit and pride, the teams will also be jockeying for first place in the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division. Grayslake Central, which will be hosting the game (7 p.m.), currently sits in first place in the standings with a sparkling 6-0 division record. But North, which is having one of its best seasons in school history, is nipping at the Rams' heels at 4-1.

“It's going to be a really good game,” said Grayslake Central coach Brian Moe, whose team is 14-5 overall. “Grayslake North is a good team and they're having a very good season. And both teams always like playing each other.”

The Knights, who are 11-6 overall and coming off a huge Fox Division win over Crystal Lake Central earlier in the week, liked playing Grayslake Central even more than usual last year. They got their very first victory over Central since the series began five years earlier.

Grayslake Central, however, still owns a 9-1 edge in the series.

“I remember (Grayslake North coach) Todd (Grunloh) was always saying that it wasn't really a rivalry until they beat us. And they finally did last year,” Moe said. “We've been reminding our guys about that this week. We've been telling them that North is the team with the winning streak, not us. We're going to have to come out and play tough.”

Rotating ringers

As expected, Grayslake Central has been powered by the dynamic inside-outside duo of 6-foot-9 center Casey Boyle and guard Jordan Taylor.

But part of the reason the Rams are 14-5, in first place in the Fox Valley Fox and winners of their last six games is that Boyle and Taylor get a lot of help. And the list of supporting cast members is long.

“It's pretty much been a different kid every game,” Grayslake Central coach Brian Moe said. “A lot of what we get comes on defense. We've got a lot of kids who can come in and make plays on defense and that's been key.”

Moe specifically cited the play of guards Sean Geary and Danny Reed, who have helped turn Grayslake Central's tough, full-court pressure defense into its primary strength this season.

“Danny's been having some big games lately. He played really well against Crystal Lake Central, and Sean has really been the unsung hero of our team all season. I mention his name every chance I get,” Moe said. “Sean doesn't get a lot of points, but he's been so important on defense because he can guard anyone from a point to a center. He's a big part of our defense, which has been pressuring teams all over the floor and wearing people down.

“When we get our defense going, our offense works so much better and that keys our energy and the way we play.”

Getting ready for a run

It was a win-win situation for Warren last weekend at the Sears Centre.

Not only did the Blue Devils pull out a breathtaking 64-63 overtime win over Downers Grove South, they also drank in an experience that could help them in the event they make another deep postseason run.

Playing in a big stadium in a hyped-up event such as the National Guard High School Hoops Showdown that draws in top competition could be considered a similar experience to playing in the latter rounds of the IHSA state tournament.

“You hope that you can advance deep enough into the state tournament where you can play in that kind of setting,” said Warren coach Chuck Ramsey, whose team advanced all the way to the Class 4A state title game last year. “If you've already played in a situation like that, like we did on Saturday, then maybe you're able to draw on that experience (in the tournament) and use it to your advantage.”

Warren senior forward Darius Paul, who scored 26 points against Downers Grove South, hit the winning free throw with no time left on the clock. He had been fouled on a putback attempt.

“It was a really fun experience for us,” Ramsey said of the game. “Downers Grove South is a really good team and we got to play in a great environment and Darius came up big at the line.”

Smith the stopper

As an underclassman, Warren senior guard Jameris Smith was your normal, ordinary defender.

Now, Smith is known for his extraordinary defense, especially on opposing ball-handlers. He's arguably one of the best in the North Suburban Conference.

Just ask Mundelein scoring machine Robert Knar, who is about to get his second helping of Smith's smothering defense. The Mustangs visit Warren for a top-flight North Suburban Conference Lake Division showdown on Saturday.

The first time around, Smith thoroughly handled Knar, limiting him to just 11 points on 4-fo-12 shooting from the field. Normally, Knar scores 20-plus points per game.

“Jameris is very good on defense,” Warren coach Chuck Ramsey said. “He's really evolved since early on in his career and he's made defense his strength. He's quick and strong and tenacious and tough.

“The best thing is that he rises to the challenge of playing the top players. He's always on the other team's best perimeter player and ballhandler. You can't really stop (Knar) but you can't let him dominate and Jameris did a really good job of that last time.”