advertisement

Wheeling revels in postseason success against Grayslake Central

It wasn't a state, sectional or regional title that had Wheeling's boys basketball program celebrating with traditional picture-taking Monday evening in Barrington.

But for the Wildcats, their parents and their fans, it was nearly as big.

The cause for the unusual celebration came because Wheeling won their first boys' basketball playoff game in recent memory. The Wildcats upended Grayslake Central 55-51 in the opening round of the Barrington regional.

The 18th-seeded Wildcats (8-19) advance to Wednesday's regional semifinals against second-seeded Fremd at 6 p.m.

"I thinking this morning and talking to people all around the school, nobody seemed to know the last time we won a playoff game," Wheeling coach Michael O'Keeffe said. "And I know in 2004 when Wheeling won the MSL East, they lost in the first round.

"This is a huge win for us and our program. The kids are really having some fun."

The IHSA website is spotty with early round results over the years. But it does list that Wheeling last won a regional in 1997, making it at least possible that the playoff victory drought could be as long as 19 years.

"It was a great team win for us," said Ryan Caulfield, who led the Wildcats with 15 points. "No one expected us to come out and win. We are really humble right now and ready to come out and play Fremd."

Wheeling showed some grit early against 15th-seeded Grayslake Central (13-12). The Wildcats trailed throughout the first half, tying the game 4 times before taking a 25-24 deficit into the locker room at the half.

Grayslake Central opened up a 30-26 lead on a 3 by David Kienzie and a basket by Sam Ruhlman. But that seemed to awaken the Wildcats.

Led by Jalen Dennis and Patrick Szpir, Wheeling went on an 11-2 run culminated by a 3 from Caulfield as Wheeling opened up a 37-32 advantage with 3:10 to go in the third quarter.

"It has been rough as a team and individually," said Dennis, who finished with a season-high 12 points. "It just matters how you come out and play this game."

Dennis kept the pressure on Grayslake with a basket and a pair of free throws that each time extended his team's lead to 6 points.

Jack Beckman, who had been in foul trouble for most of the evening, then helped the Rams pull back into the game. The 6-foot-7 senior hit a basket with 2:45 to play to pull his team to within 1 at 47-46.

It was the free throw line that decided this one, as Wheeling hit some of theirs and Grayslake Central missed a pair of one-and-one opportunities.

Dennis and Caulfield both nailed a free throw, John Kappel had an uncontested layup after a long rebound on a Rams missed free throw and Dennis converted another free throw as Wheeling stretch its lead to 52-46 with 38.7 seconds left to put the game away.

"The effort has always been there for us this year," Grayslake Central coach Kosta Kougias said. "Sometimes we lack some execution, and it showed tonight."

TJ Best had 7 points for Wheeling while Szpir had 6 points and 9 rebounds and Dylan Draka and Kappel each chipped in 5 points.

Beckman led the Rams with 13 points and 9 rebounds, Alex Novak came off the bench to score 12 points, Ruhlman had 11 points, Kienzie had 9 points and DeJon Goodman added 6 points.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.