Grayslake Central aces the Vernon Hills test
Before their biggest test of the season, not counting that season-opening loss to Jacobs, Grayslake Central's girls basketball players took other tests.
It's finals week, mind you.
Alex Scarbro, for one, left her high school smiling by Wednesday night's end.
"I did really well on my finals today," the junior said.
She and her teammates aced their court exam. Behind Rebekah Llorens' season-high 25 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals, Grayslake Central routed visiting Vernon Hills 72-51 in a nonconference game between two of the hottest teams in Lake County.
Grayslake Central (8-1) won its eighth straight, while Vernon Hills (9-1) suffered its first loss.
"Sometimes you're the windshield and sometimes you're the bug," said coach Paul Brettner, whose Cougars got splattered early, trailing by double digits by late in the first quarter and never recovering.
"They got a really nice team," Brettner added.
"They can score at every position. We didn't play great defense, but a big part of that was they didn't allow us to play great defense. They beat us in transition, with basket cuts and with some second chances."
A game that, on paper, figured to be good got out of hand for the visitors about five minutes in. A spinning, bank shot by Scarbro started the Rams on an 11-2 run to close the quarter, after Vernon Hills trailed only 10-7.
"We pressured the ball a lot, got in the passing lanes, got some steals and got easy baskets," Grayslake Central coach Roger Lass said. "We have to do that. That's what we do. I liked our defensive intensity."
Scarbro scored 7 of her 9 points during the late first-quarter frenzy. She even sank a 3-pointer.
"We knew Vernon Hills was a good team and we game-planned for them all week," Scarbro said. "I guess it paid off."
A big part of Vernon Hills' success has been the play of 6-foot-2 freshman Meri Bennett-Swanson. While she scored 8 points, she nor any of her teammates had an answer for the opposing center.
The 6-1 Llorens sank 11 baskets, hitting at least two shots from the floor in each quarter.
"She did a good job of hitting the boards and getting open," Lass said. "Our guards kind of drew their big girl (Bennett-Swanson) off her, and then they made a lot of nice passes to her down low."
Llorens had 13 points at halftime, and the Rams led 42-19. A junior who was home-schooled before this year, Llorens continues to impress.
"She has helped our team so much in the post this year," Scarbro said. "After we lost to Johnsburg (in the sectional final) last year - they were so much bigger than us - we knew we needed someone big."
Grayslake Central also got 8 points apiece from Kat Dickson (5 rebounds) and Skyler Jessop. In total, 11 Rams scored.
Brettner was impressed.
"They're long, they're athletic, and their guards can defend like crazy," he said. "Nothing we tried really worked."
Alana Coy led Vernon Hills with 14 points, while Abby Springer added 10. Becca Feld scored 8 points coming off the bench, and Jessica Feece finished with 7 points and 7 rebounds.