Landmark victory for Nardini, Vernon Hills

Robby Nardini eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in his career at Vernon Hills, and his milestone performance also helped the Cougars pick up a nonconference victory.

Nardini had 9 fourth-quarter points on his way to a game-high 25 as Vernon Hills topped host Grayslake Central 62-50 on Friday.

Nardini led a fourth-quarter rally after the Cougars (8-1) let a 12-point third-quarter lead slip away.

Vernon Hills trailed 45-43 when Nardini, who recently committed to Wisconsin-Stevenson Point, tied the game with a layup with 6:15 remaining.

"I was just trying to get my shot back and my confidence back up," said Nardini, who had 14 first-quarter points and a free throw in the third quarter before the layup. "We just wanted to run a good set on offense and we got everyone involved. I was able to drive the ball down the lane."

Sam Rattner (10 points) followed up with a go-ahead 3-pointer to put the Cougars up for good at 48-45 with 5:15 left.

"I knew when Robby drew baseline that I would be open," Rattner said. "He saw me on that one. It was a good pass and I hit it."

The Cougars kept their intensity up, as Nardini hit his fifth 3-pointer of the game, which got him over 1,000 points. It came during the closing 19-5 run with 2:38 remaining and got the Vernon Hills student section on their feet in celebration.

"I knew that I was 20 away (starting the game) and I knew it was a close game," Nardini said. "I was more focused on that. I did look up at the scoreboard and I knew had to get to 20. Once I saw 22, I knew it was pretty cool. It's a milestone, but there's more to it, with us coming out victorious."

Vernon Hills was coming off one of its biggest victories, having defeated North Suburban Lake Division rival North Chicago 64-41 on Wednesday night.

There was some concern of a letdown after that game going into this one.

"I told our kids with the game Wednesday was very emotional," Vernon Hills coach Matt McCarty said. "We didn't have a lot of time to prepare for Grayslake Central. We would have to win this on the defensive end."

Grayslake Central (3-4) fought back from a 40-28 deficit in the third quarter.

The Rams closed with an 11-3 run ending the third quarter as David Llorens (10 points) knocked down a trey with 1:25 left and Grayslake Central trailing 43-39.

In the fourth quarter, Grayslake Central kept up the pressure. They scored six straight points and took a 2-point lead at 45-43 on a Llorens dunk with 6:27 left.

"Our effort has been there all season," Grayslake Central coach Kosta Kougias said. "I can't fault the effort. Maybe the execution wasn't there toward the end. We did some things and fought our way back, but (Vernon Hills) capitalized on us. They are a great team and they don't stop on both ends of the floor."

Michael Benko led the Rams with 14 points; Matt Weaver added 16 points and 8 rebounds for the Cougars.