Einloth, Grayslake North persevere past Hampshire

Grayslake North coach Todd Grunloh had seen that.

Dom DiProva elevating both his athletic body and jump shot. Dom DiProva swatting and scoring.

Dom dominating.

But during Grayslake North's 59-41 win over visiting Hampshire in a Fox Valley Fox Division boys basketball game Saturday, neither Grunloh nor Whip-Purs coach Bob Barnett had seen this.

With the Knights leading 23-12 midway through the second quarter, Hampshire reserve forward Austin Spaeth grabbed his gym bag and left the gym. He never returned. Barnett had just taken Spaeth out of the game after the 6-foot senior had been called for traveling.

"I didn't want him getting a technical, so I thought I'd sit him down and calm him down," Barnett said. "The next thing I know, he walks by and says, 'I quit.' ... Twenty-eight years as a head coach, I've never had that happen."

Aidan Einloth led Grayslake North (12-8, 6-3) with a game-high 24 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Spaeth's spontaneous decision overshadowed DiProva's effort in the second quarter. The Knights' 6-1 senior scored all of his 12 points in the period, hitting a pair of 3-pointers, sky hook, tip in off an inbounds play and two-handed jam after he made an aggressive move on the baseline.

In the first quarter, DiProva swatted a Hampshire shot off the backboard.

"We really needed that (performance) from Dom," Einloth said. "He's had a little leg injury lately and has been a little 'off.' It was a good game for him to get back in the flow and get back to being who he really is."

DiProva had gotten kneed in the thigh twice in a game against Grayslake Central last month and suffered a deep bruise. While he didn't miss any games, he hadn't been playing like the three-year varsity player who opened the season with a pair of 20-point efforts in the Knights' first three games.

"That was the first time we've seen him be explosive in a couple of weeks," Grunloh said. "His shot had more lift, and he attacked the basket more. It was nice to see because I know he's been frustrated with his limited ability."

Jake Tuttle and Brennen Woods each had 10 points, and Matt Bridges finished with 9 for Hampshire (13-8, 3-5), which suffered its sixth loss in a row. The Whip-Purs were within 12-8 late in the opening quarter, before Grayslake North used a 7-0 run, which included an Einloth 3-pointer, to take a 19-8 lead into the second.

"We knew that they were on a little bit of a losing streak, so we knew that they were going to come out and try to fight for a win," Einloth said. "We knew that if we got up early and got them out of the game, that would be key."

Grayslake North enjoyed a 40-26 lead in the third quarter. But Luke Tuttle's 3-pointer capped a 6-0 run, bringing Hampshire within eight with 3:20 to go. Einloth then went on a personal 8-0 run, which included 4 free throws, to extend the Knights' lead to 48-32 entering the fourth.

"I thought (Hampshire) came out at the start of the third quarter and played really well," Grunloh said. "I thought they completely outplayed us, especially the first 3-4 minutes of that quarter."

Bobby Krebs added 9 points on three 3-pointers for Grayslake North. Eli Atwater had 6 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 points for the Knights.

Hampshire, which lost to Grayslake North 70-57 on its home court just 11 days earlier, trailed by as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter.

"We're doing some good things," Barnett said. "It's just we lose focus. And once we lose focus, it's like everything that can go wrong goes wrong. We just got to fight through."