Grayslake C. tops Grayslake N.

The hype extended from the feet of Grayslake Central senior Tyler Smith, who bought new white socks for his basketball team's showdown with Grayslake North, to the Facebook page of his teammate Savonte McWilliams.

"Everybody (at school) was riding me, and even players at North wrote me on Facebook, (asking) me, 'Are you ready for the game?' " said McWilliams, smiling. "They were thinking they were underdogs and they were going to come in and beat us at home. But we couldn't let that happen."

The hype didn't disappoint thanks to two standing-room-only sections at opposite ends filled with spirited, loud students and an up-tempo Fox Valley Fox Division thriller that saw host Grayslake Central pull out a 64-55 victory Friday night.

Grayslake North was within three in the final minute, but Jordan Taylor sank 6 of 6 free throws in the last 35 seconds, keeping Grayslake Central (15-5) atop the FVC Fox with a 7-0 mark and hiking its winning streak to seven games.

Grayslake North (11-7, 4-2), which lost for just the second time in its last eight games. got 15 points from Danny Mateling, who defended the high-scoring Taylor hard for most of the night.

Smith might have to keep wearing his new socks, as he scored a season-high 18 points and collected 3 steals. When the 6-foot-2 senior forward wasn't scoring in transition, he was taking the ball hard to the basket on the baseline and finishing shots.

"I just wanted to attack," Smith said. "I knew that I had an advantage on size. I wanted to use my height and strength as an advantage."

Rams center Casey Boyle added 15 points and 12 rebounds, while fellow seniors McWilliams and Taylor each finished with 13 points.

"It was our four seniors that had double digits," McWilliams noted. "We had to really come out and show senior leadership. In big games like this, our seniors got to step up, and that's what we did."

Grayslake North junior guard Nick Carmody, who was back in the starting lineup with 6-7 Ben Guhl out sick, had 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting (two 3-pointers). AJ Fish added 13 for the Knights, who jumped out to a 6-0 lead but saw the Rams go on a 10-0 run and trailed 17-10 after one quarter.

Grayslake North then switched from a zone to a man-to-man defense and got within 33-32 by halftime.

"I thought we played really well," Grayslake North coach Todd Grunloh said. "I thought we played better against them than we played against Hampshire (a 54-52 loss last Saturday). ... That's the best we've ever played in this building."

McWilliams scored 11 points, including a 3, in the first half. That was key considering Grayslake North kept Taylor off the scoreboard in the opening 16 minutes.

McWilliams, who Rams coach Brian Moe called "probably our best conditioned player," also brought the ball up the court and pressured the Knights when they did it.

"Savonte hurt us a lot," Grunloh said. "In the first half, even if he wasn't scoring, he was able to penetrate and set up for other people. I thought we shut down some big players."

Boyle had 13 points at halftime, but only two after that. Taylor didn't score his first points until finishing a drive with 2:41 left in the third. The bucket was big, as it commenced a 6-0 run that extended the Rams' lead to 46-41 entering the fourth.

Smith was huge in the final quarter, getting open in transition and scoring 8 points, including three on buckets at the rim.

"Offensively, that's what we're looking for from Tyler," Moe said. "He's so athletic. When you can get him (the ball) in transition, he attacks the basket, and he's tough to stop."

Grayslake North didn't go down quietly. When Zack Krupp drained a 3-pointer, the Knights were within 54-53 with 2:34 to go.

"They're so good at shooting," McWilliams said. "It's so hard to stop them. We thought it was going to slow down later in the game, but they just kept knocking down shots."

But Grayslake Central countered Krupp's 3 with baskets by Taylor and Smith, before Taylor's free-throw shooting put the game away for the Rams.

"We just came out and competed hard," Smith said. "We got the victory on our home court. We're happy to have the rivalry victory."