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Grayslake Central works OT to edge Hampshire

Before a game early this season, Grayslake Central basketball players Kelly Moroney and Amanda Larson say teammate Lindsay Brust fired up the team with one sentence.

"Teamwork makes the dream work."

"That's been our motto all year that we live by," Moroney said.

"It's helped us throughout the entire year," Larson added.

Wednesday night, the Rams realized a dream. Teamwork - and team defense - helped Grayslake Central outlast visiting Hampshire 33-31 in overtime to clinch a share of the Fox Valley Conference Fox Division championship.

Brust's five words were worthy of high-fives - as well as T-shirts the Rams plan to have made with "Teamwork makes the dream work" on them.

Larson scored a game-high 13 points, as Grayslake Central (14-12) closed out division play with a 10-2 record. Prairie Ridge, which beat Grayslake North on Wednesday night, is 9-2 and visits Woodstock on Saturday night. Hampshire (16-8, 7-3) has two division games left but no shot at finishing first.

"We knew what we had to do, we wanted it so badly, and we just went out and did it," Moroney said. "Everyone was focused. We had a really good practice (Tuesday), so I think that helped too. We just went out and were intense the whole game."

Up 17-14 at halftime and 24-18 after three quarters, Grayslake Central went ahead by 8 points 30 seconds into the fourth when Larson spun in the lane and scored. But with Hampshire's Emma Benoit back on the court after the 6-foot-1 senior was saddled with foul trouble most of the night, the visitors mounted a comeback.

Benoit (9 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks) scored 7 points in the fourth, with her free throw with 59 seconds left giving the Whip-Purs a 30-28 lead.

"I got nervous at points (in the fourth quarter) and was hoping for the best, but I was like, 'Our team wants this,' " Larson said. "We knew we wanted it more than any team in the conference. We just went out and did it. "

Grayslake Central didn't make it easy on itself, missing 4 of 4 free throws down the stretch. But Quin Garbett, listed at 5-5, muscled in an offensive rebound with 43 seconds left to tie the score at 30-30.

Larson and Ania Barnes (7 points) missed point-blank chances in the final seconds, and the game went to overtime. In the extra session, Moroney (5 points) went baseline and scored to put the Rams up 33-31 with 1:23 to go, and her free throw with 23.4 seconds left provided the game's final point.

Hampshire missed 3 free throws in OT and was 10 of 18 for the game. The Whip-Purs' 32nd turnover, with 0.8 seconds on the clock, sealed their fate.

"That's unbelievable," Hampshire coach Mike Featherly said of his team's hefty turnover total. "How we were in the game, I have no idea. It's a credit to (the players). They kept fighting. They always fight. But we got to finish some games."

"It was a good game," Grayslake Central coach Steve Ikenn said. "There were two teams fighting tooth and nail for 36 minutes because 32 weren't enough. When the game went to overtime, I told the girls, 'I asked you to give me 32 great minutes. I need four more.' "

Nicole Dumoulin added 9 points and 8 rebounds for Hampshire. Rachel Dumoulin (5 points, 7 boards) hustled down an offensive rebound and scored with 3:20 left in the fourth to tie the score at 28-28.

"Hampshire is a really good team," Ikenn said. "Benoit's really good inside, and they've got good guards. They're a tough team to defend."

Images: Grayslake Central vs. Hampshire girls basketball

  Hampshire's Rachel Dumoulin blocks Grayslake Central's Amanda Larson on Wednesday in Grayslake. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Hampshire's Nicole Dumoulin tips the ball away from Grayslake Central's Amanda Larson Wednesday in Grayslake. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Hampshire's Emma Benoit and Grayslake Central's Kelly Moroney battle for the ball Wednesday in Grayslake. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
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