Grayslake Central wraps up perfect FVC Fox finish
A surprise, the only one, awaited Grayslake Central girls basketball coach Steve Ikenn at game's end.
Some thoughtful parents presented him with a birthday cake following the Rams' 47-38 win over visiting Grayslake North on Tuesday night. It was something neither Ikenn, nor his players, saw coming.
"He didn't tell us it was his birthday," senior guard Skyler Jessop said. "We just found out."
"At this point in my life," the new 48-year-old said with a laugh, "I don't make a big deal out of them."
That Grayslake Central won another Fox Valley Conference Fox Division game was no surprise.
The Rams' second win this season over their crosstown rival capped a second-straight 12-0 run through the division and stretched their FVC Fox winning streak to 25 games.
Mind you, Grayslake Central, which improved to 23-4, graduated four starters off a squad that won a sectional championship last February.
"Definitely surprised," Jessop, the only returning starter, said of the Rams' success this season. "I just think it shows how hard we work. Yeah, we lost a lot (from last season). But I think this year it's all five of us (starters) and the people coming off the bench doing (their jobs)."
With Jessop scoring a game-high 14 points and adding 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals, and Claire Brennan adding 10 points, Grayslake Central ran its winning to seven games. The Rams, who started the season 0-2, are 23-2 in their last 25 games.
Birthday-boy Ikenn?
He's not totally surprised.
"We had good talent on the bench last year, too," Ikenn said. "We've got a lot of kids that were on the team last year that worked their butts off in practice. They're good players, and they buy into the defense-first concept. As long as we keep defending well, we'll be in every game."
Tuesday night provided the latest example.
After only moderate success early against the Knights' zone, the Rams closed the opening quarter with a 9-0 run, which included three-point plays by Emma Shepard and Jessop, to lead 17-6.
"North came out with some different things," Ikenn said. "They came out playing us in a zone, and I thought we did a good job attacking it."
A layup early in the second quarter by Shepard (9 points) made it 19-6 before the Knights' Allie Ceglarek hit the first of her three 3-pointers in the quarter. Ceglarek's efficiency (3-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc) had Grayslake North within 29-21 at halftime.
"They're such a quality team," Knights coach Jim Sarver said of the Rams. "They're so solid with what they do that you can't dig a hole. As soon as you do that, you're chasing them, and they're so patient."
Grayslake North (19-8, 8-4), which finished second in the FVC Fox, fell behind by 19 points in the fourth quarter, but kept firing and chipping away.
Kendall Detweiler, who along with Ceglarek led the Knights with 9 points, sank a 3-pointer and another long jumper, as the visitors closed the game with a 13-3 run.
"They definitely are dangerous," Jessop said. "Kendall Detweiler can hit shots from all over the three-point arc, and they work hard all the time. We know when we play them that they're not going to give up."
Center Morgan Dahlstrom added 8 points and 10 rebounds for Grayslake Central, and super-sub Michelle Lettenmair added 4 points while hustling for 6 rebounds (3 offensive).
"I think they're under control of the ball, and they're patient," said Grayslake North guard Jordyn Bowen, who had 5 points and 3 steals. "I know we get rattled a little bit against them. They keep us on our toes. It's good competition."
Like the last time it played Grayslake Central, Grayslake North saw a winning streak snapped. The Knights had won 13 in a row before a loss to the Rams on Jan. 10. They took a four-game victory streak into Tuesday's showdown.
"I was really proud of my kids," Sarver said. "I told them at halftime, 'This is the kind of atmosphere you love to play in.' "