Waukegan gives Grayslake Central wake-up call

Grayslake Central's boys basketball team had a four-game winning streak riding into the break.

The Rams' momentum went away quickly on Wednesday, though.

Waukegan was more than ready for the challenge of a 9 a.m. game after Christmas, as the Bulldogs cruised to a 71-37 victory over Grayslake Central in the first game of the Hardwood Classic in Wheeling.

"(Waukegan) was as good as advertised," Grayslake Central coach Kosta Kougias said. "They do a good job of forcing you out of your offense with trapping and moving all over the place without the ball. They really take away the passing lanes. Their defense was, overall, what hurt us. I really don't think they missed a shot in the first half. They're a top team for a reason."

Waukegan (10-2) used a 13-0 run to go up 17-4 by the end of the opening quarter. The Bulldogs made it 19 straight points before Dillan Dumanlaug made a short jump shot for the Rams (6-5).

Waukegan kept making shots off its defense and held a 40-12 lead at the break.

Andre White Jr. and Bryant Brown led the Bulldogs with 13 points each, and Ja'vaan Taylor added 10. Waukegan actually got together for a 5:30 a.m. practice, before traveling to Wheeling.

"We did have a practice this morning. Not long but kind of hard," Waukegan coach Ron Ashlaw said. "We practiced on Christmas Eve and on Sunday (too). Our guys are digging and understand why we're doing this. One thing we talked about was having a razor-sharp performance for a 9 o'clock game. It says a lot about our squad this year that (the players) have high expectations for a Dunkin' Donuts coffee game."

Antonio Crews led the Rams with 7 points.

Grayslake Central will next face Libertyville (4-7) at 10:30 a.m. Thursday. Waukegan plays Fremd in the quarterfinals at 3:45 p.m.