advertisement

Gerdes gets Grayslake North first win

The torch hasn't been passed. The Gerdeses are more likely to pass a ball, after all.

Still, one can't help but notice what's going on at Grayslake North.

Jordyn.

Peyton.

Maddux.

Maybe Maddux will make a pitch to be larger than them all.

"Too early to tell," Peyton Gerdes said of her kid brother's growth potential. "He's only 10."

Peyton Gerdes isn't a Payton-like legend, but the 5-foot-11 freshman forward is off to a good start in her high school basketball career. In her second game, she came off the bench to tally 11 points, 9 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocked shots, as Grayslake North captured its first win under first-year coach Roger Lass, 44-37 over host Mundelein in Thanksgiving tournament action on Tuesday night.

Gerdes, whose sister Jordyn graduated last spring after playing three varsity seasons for the Knights, scored 7 points in the decisive fourth quarter. Her right-wing 3-pointer put Grayslake North up 33-31 with 4:17 left.

"I admire her a lot for what she's doing," said senior guard Faith Standerski, who led Grayslake North (1-1) in scoring with 16 points. "It takes a lot, especially in this sport, for a freshman to come up and be so big in those situations - to hit a 3, be under the basket and get a rebound for our team and either kick it out or put it back up strong like she needed to."

Gerdes didn't score in the Knights' season-opening loss to Highland Park at Mundelein on Monday night, but she collected 5 steals.

"It took me a little bit to get in a comfort zone," said Gerdes, who's the tallest of three kids (all named after Chicago sports legends) of Glen, Grayslake Central's longtime athletic trainer, and Stephanie. "My first game, I was a little out of it, a little nervous. But once I started to build a bond with my teammates, I was able to be strong and get rebounds and help out my team any way I could."

The 14-year-old's poise down the stretch didn't surprise Lass.

"She's played a lot of AAU ball and she's a smart basketball player," Lass said. "Toward the end, I had to tell her, 'We got the lead. Let's slow down a little bit.' Her first instinct is, 'Go, go, go,' which is mine too. But she slowed it down and kept it under control."

Mundelein (0-2) took a 29-27 lead into the final quarter thanks to Morgan Frank's buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the third. Frank led the Mustangs with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks. Her free throw with 3:30 to go evened the score at 33-33, but Grayslake North's Jayden Curtis scored on a putback to start a 9-0 run.

Gerdes hit 2 free throws during the stretch and, as a team, the Knights went 8 of 12 from the line in the fourth. Six Knights hit a free throw in the final 4:29.

"Instead of folding, we ran our offenses, continued to play good defense and made our free throws at the end," Lass said. "We just played smart at the end and executed. With an inexperienced team, that's really important to keep our composure and finish games like that."

  Grayslake North's Eden Hartigan (22) heads to the basket past Mundelein's Allison Binz (24) during Tuesday's girls basketball game in Mundelein. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Mundelein's Morgan Frank, right, takes a shot under pressure from Grayslake North's Sarina Low during Tuesday's game at the girls Thanksgiving basketball tournament in Mundelein. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Grayslake North's Grace Wamser, left, pressures Mundelein's Brenda Mondragon as she heads to the basket during Tuesday's game at the girls Thanksgiving basketball tournament in Mundelein. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Grayslake North's Morgan Atwell, left, pulls down the rebound despite the efforts of Mundelein's Ava Vogt (21) during Tuesday's game of the girls Thanksgiving basketball tournament in Mundelein. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Grayslake North's Peyton Gerdes (33) blocks the shot by Mundelein's Mila Photopoulos (45) during Tuesday's Thanksgiving basketball tournament in Mundelein. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
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.