Grayslake Central wins a thriller against Libertyville

Quin Garbett, a long-range shooter, knows it's been a long time.

To be exact, it's been about 10 months since Grayslake Central's girls basketball team had a two-game winning streak. And while Garbett can't remember the last time the Rams enjoyed a more thrilling win than Thursday night's come-from-behind, 45-43 triumph over Libertyville, the three-year varsity guard knows her team is determined to have a better season.

"We just really wanted to start out differently than we did last year because last year was a little rough," Garbett said. "We all want to be as a team and we're all picking each other up, even people on the bench."

Grayslake Central is 2-0 after opening Buffalo Grove's Bison Classic with a win over Libertyville (0-1) at Hersey. Last season, the Rams won just eight contests, including three in a row Jan. 20-27.

"It's a whole different team, and it's a whole different year," Grayslake Central coach Steve Ikenn said. "We're just going to keep working and plugging away."

Ahead the entire game, including 27-19 at halftime and 35-30 after three quarters, Libertyville took a 43-40 lead on Caroline Frea's foul-line jumper with 2:02 left in the fourth. But Grayslake Central quickly advanced the ball into the frontcourt, where point guard Kelly Moroney found an open Garbett on the wing. Garbett drained the 3-pointer, her third of the game, with 1:53 to go.

"We've been working on our offense a lot," said Garbett, who scored a team-high 13 points. "We've been working on our post moves because we're not the biggest team, obviously."

After a series of turnovers by both teams in the final two minutes, Moroney dished the ball to sophomore Jordyn Gosell (6 points), who finished the layup for a 45-43 Rams lead with 43 seconds to go.

Libertyville had one last chance, but Amanda Larson came up with a steal outside the arc and time expired.

The Rams were successful, particularly in the second half, at taking the ball aggressively to the basket.

"We shied away from getting the ball inside (early in the game) because they're big," Ikenn said. "I thought we had some openings early and we didn't take advantage. Then we talked about the fact that they're big but we're good inside too. We got to get our players the ball and let them try to score and make (Libertyville) work on defense."

Claire Keefe, Libertyville's 6-foot junior veteran, led all scorers with 17 points, including 13 in the first half. Fellow 6-footer Frea added 13 for the Wildcats.

"First game of the year and we see holes that we have to plug up," Libertyville coach Greg Pedersen said. "Our point production can't come that much dominantly from our posts. We have to have guards step up and make contributions. That's what we'll focus on."

Larson and Lindsay Brust each had 9 points for Grayslake Central. Rams freshman Rosie Drevline came off the bench to score 6 points, including a pair of baskets in the fourth.

"She's got a good mind for basketball," Ikenn said. "She stays calm. That's what I like."

Both teams resume the tournament Saturday at Buffalo Grove, with Libertyville playing Hersey at 10 a.m. and Grayslake Central taking on Mother McAuley at 11:30 a.m.

"(Libertyville) is a really good team," Ikenn said. "They showed so much patience and defensive tenacity."