Larson's a hit as Grayslake Central rolls
The approach is similar to what teammates in baseball do when their pitcher is throwing a no-hitter.
Grayslake Central girls basketball coach Steve Ikenn was content to just roll with it, not draw attention to it, just let the moment ride.
"When you see someone in a rhythm like that, all you do is … you just give her the ball," Ikenn said. "You just let her go."
And go, and go and go is exactly what Grayslake Central senior guard Amanda Larson did on Monday night. She could not be stopped.
Larson poured in a game- and career-high 35 points, including five 3s, to lead visiting Grayslake Central to a decisive 65-39 victory over crosstown rival Grayslake North.
There was an added edge to the game in that both teams sat atop the Northern Lake County Conference standings with perfect 5-0 records. Grayslake Central, which is 12-6 on the season, is now alone in first place at 6-0. Grayslake North drops to 10-4 overall and 5-1 in the league.
"This was a really big game for us," said Larson, who crushed her previous career-high of 25 points last year against Mother McAuley. "They are a really good team and we've been crosstown rivals and we grew up playing against all these (North) girls. There's nothing that could get us pumped up more than playing them.
"We were working the ball well as a team on offense and my team was getting me the ball. Everyone was like, 'Keep shooting, do what you need to do.' "
After a 13-point first-half, Larson got white-hot in the third quarter, scoring 16 of Grayslake Central's 18 points. That took a 6-point Grayslake Central lead early in the quarter to as many as 17 points. The Rams scored 9 unanswered points at one point.
By the end of the third quarter, Grayslake Central held a 46-29 advantage, and Larson had 29 points.
When Ikenn took Larson out for the night about midway through the fourth quarter, many in the Grayslake Central fan section gave her a standing ovation.
"I've never had that happen before," a beaming Larson said. "That was awesome, super cool to see that.
"As a captain, it's my duty to run the team and score and it all just really worked tonight."
Although she didn't really need it, Larson got a little bit of offensive support from sophomore guards Rosie Drevline and Maura Fitzgerald, who finished with 9 and 6 points respectively. Drevline scored all of her points from long range, on 3 three-pointers.
Grayslake North, meanwhile, didn't have any player score in double-figures. Sidney Lovitsch and Savannah Guenther tied for team-high scoring honors with 7 points apiece.
Lovitsch, the team's leading scoring (15 ppg), was forced to sit much of the game in foul trouble.
She scored the first 5 points of the second half, which cut Grayslake North's 11-point halftime deficit (28-17) to 6 points. But that's as close as the Knights would get.
Grayslake North was plagued with poor shooting and errors. The Knights had 26 turnovers on the game.
"We were just way too sloppy on offense," Grayslake North coach Rob Nicoletti said. "And then, we just did not defend well at all. You're not going to beat many teams playing defense like that.
"(Larson) was on from the get-go tonight. Credit to her, she had a great game. She was awesome, hitting them from everywhere, from deep and then driving. But again, we can't defend like that and get away with it at this level. And normally (defense) is our calling card."