Cannon, Wheeling stop determined Grayslake Central

From the opening tip Wednesday, the Grayslake Central girls basketball team had upset on its mind.

"We didn't want to back off," Rams coach Roger Lass said. "We wanted to take it to them offensively and defensively."

The plan worked perfectly for a while. Grayslake Central raced to a 6-0 lead and 14-8 advantage after the first quarter. In fact, the Rams might have walked off the court with their biggest victory of the season to date if not for yet another outstanding performance by Wheeling senior guard Janelle Cannon.

The University of Minnesota recruit poured in a game-high 30 points, 6 rebounds, 6 steals and 5 assists to lead her team to a 57-51 victory in the Blue Devil Classic. She made 10 of 12 free throws, and the Wildcats converted 16 of 20 as a team.

Wheeling improved to 13-2 and 4-0 in the tournament and will play host Warren for the title Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

"No one was really attacking the rim and getting inside so I tried to take over," Cannon said.

Grayslake Central succeeded in stopping Cannon from the outside, but the Rams (10-3) did not have an answer for her dribble penetration. They dropped to 2-2 in tournament play.

"She's smooth," Lass said. "We weren't able to help fast enough and she (converted) on every drive."

The game was tied at 31-31 midway through the third quarter when junior guard Alex Scarbro picked up her fourth foul. Scarbro began the game by hitting a pair of 3-pointers and she finished with a team-high 15 points.

"She can shoot it, but I was just as impressed with her defense," Lass said.

Added Scarbro: "Playing big teams motivates us. We worked hard and deserved to be in it the whole game."

Wheeling opened it up a bit midway through the fourth quarter when consecutive steals led to layups by Cannon and senior Bianca Szafarowicz (15 points).

"This was our fifth game in six days and I think our kids were feeling a little sorry for themselves (early)," Wheeling coach Shelly Wiegel said. "Grayslake Central did a great job with their energy and it took us awhile to match it. Grayslake Central is a very athletic team. They gave us the best matchup of the tournament."

Grayslake Central sophomore Skyler Jessop made two 3-pointers and scored 14 points.

"She always hustles and is a real good all-around player," Lass said.

Junior Rebekah Llorens had 14 points and 12 rebounds.

"Our guards got the ball inside to her and she made shots," Lass said. "I liked how aggressive she was."