Grant steps it up in second half
A pep talk wasn't required at halftime. Matt Lukemeyer needn't even utter a peep.
His players knew all too well what had been happening in the second halves of their games this week.
"The girls were bringing it up - 'Come on. We got to have a good third quarter. We got to step up. We got to play good defense,' " said Lukemeyer, Grant's girls basketball coach. "It was good to see."
Lukemeyer loved what he saw in the third quarter. Up six points at halftime, Grant closed the third with a 14-0 run en route to a 57-44 win over Carmel Catholic in Mundelein's Thanksgiving tournament Friday night.
"The past two games our third quarters have been really sluggish," Lukemeyer said after his Bulldogs snapped a two-game losing streak to improve to 2-2 in the tourney. "That's kind of what lost us both games. It's something we stressed and talked about."
Wednesday night against Mundelein, Grant led 22-16 at halftime but got outscored 19-9 in the third and lost by six points. The previous night against Glenbrook South, Grant trailed 19-18 at the half, got outscored 19-4 in the third and suffered a 17-point defeat.
When 5-foot-5 junior guard McKaylie Krey put in an offensive rebound to beat the buzzer against Carmel, it finished a 22-9 third-quarter edge and hiked the Grant lead to 47-28.
"We knew (the third quarter) was our weakness," said Grant senior forward Andrea Weaver, who came off the bench to score a team-high 12 points and grab 7 rebounds. "We had our lead and we just focused on pulling away and securing it."
Down 33-22 with less than five minutes left in the third, Carmel got within five points when Emma Rappe chased down a long rebound and hit a 10-footer. But Grant center Taylor Drake scored in the post and a sank a foul line jumper, Weaver put back a miss and Jenna Pecorini drained a pullup jumper. Krey then hit a pair of free throws, before Weaver sank a layup.
"I felt like our defense really stepped up," Lukemeyer said. "We started going inside more, getting a little more in transition and taking it to the basket."
The 6-3 Drake finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. Jasmine Sangster added 11 points and 3 steals, and Pecorini contributed 9 points coming off the bench.
Drake made it difficult for Rappe, Carmel's only returning starter, to score inside.
"She's a sweet girl, but at the same time she plays tough," Weaver said of her teammate. "She's really a rock on defense and on offense, too. Her post moves are always on fire."
Rappe scored 17 of her game-high 19 points in the second half. The 6-foot senior hit three 3-pointers.
"I just went outside because I knew (Drake) couldn't guard me out there, and at that point we needed outside shots," Rappe said.
Center Emily Casale added 8 points and Alexa Amato hit a pair of 3s for Carmel (1-3).
"I think we just need more practice," Rappe said. "It's going to take some time to jell as a team because we're so young. But I think we'll get there eventually. I'm hoping by conference time we'll be all right."