Grayslake Central bombs away in win over Round Lake
Officially, that's 1.5 dunks.
Since there are no centers on the Grayslake Central boys basketball roster, let's go with 6-foot-7 Grant Hardy with those slam-down the basket skills.
''I'm 6-7 with my shoes on,'' Hardy said on Friday night.
It was Senior Night at Grayslake Central. And in the second half, the Rams (15-13, 9-5) hit seven 3-pointers. Visiting Round Lake stayed reasonably close for a half and got hit with a barrage in the second half. Central, winners of 8 out of its last 10 games, will head to regionals, far from home, after a convincing 71-34 Northern Lake County Conference win.
Every Ram who saw playing time scored.
"This was a good team win,'' Hardy continued. "Being senior night, it was high intensity. It was just a good night."
Hardy got to sit the bench as the subs entered the game in the fourth quarter and bombed away from 3-point range.
"It was a great night for our seniors,'' said Rams coach, Kosta Kougias. "What a fun game to be in. And yes, our bench played well also."
To be fair, Round Lake (9-22, 0-14) had one lead at 2-0 on a rebound bucket by sophomore Hakim Williams (14 points, 7 rebounds). The Rams' lead after one quarter was just 14-13.
However, on an old fashioned 3-point play from guard Dillan Dumanlang, the Rams' lead was 38-20 early in the third quarter. Dumanlang added 8 points to the Rams' attack.
"This was a good team win,'' Dumanlang said. "I just like driving and kicking the ball out."
Coby Moe (8 points) opened the 3-point attack in the second half. Fellow senior Kevin O'Brien followed with another 3-pointer. Ethan Boelens added another trey for his first points of the game.
By this then, it was time to clear the bench. Lamontt Moore opened the fourth quarter with a 3. He finished with 7 points in the final quarter. It was Daniel Rogers' turn next. The junior had an 8-point fourth quarter aided by two long 3s.
Tyler Tiffany hit the last 3-pointer of the final quarter and put his team over the 70-point mark.
Jamirh Jones hit a tough spinning shot in the first half and finished with 6 points for the Panthers.
Grayslake Central is seeded fifth in its own Class 3A sectional complex and opens the state tournament at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday as part of the St. Patrick regional. The Rams will play No. 12 Northside.
Round Lake, seeded 23rd in the Class 4A Waukegan sectional complex, plays No. 10 Buffalo Grove in a play-in game of the Barrington regional at 7:30 p.m. Monday.