Wauconda rolls in regional opener

Wauconda didn't start slow to start the postseason as the No. 1 seed of the Class 3A Crystal Lake South boys basketball sectional.

The Bulldogs outscored Crystal Lake Central 22-8 in their Prairie Ridge regional semifinal on Wednesday night and never looked back, taking down the Tigers 65-39.

"It felt good to get up and down a little bit," Wauconda coach Scott Luetschwagher said. "Our pressure got to them a little bit there and we were able to get a couple buckets there in transition, which helps."

The Bulldogs kept rolling after a strong first quarter, leading 39-21 at the half and 60-31 after three quarters. Wauconda showed off its athleticism by shooting the ball well and moving it on transition. The defense forced turnovers and that led to easy transition baskets for Wauconda.

Nicolas Brinias led the way for the Bulldogs with 23 points while Garrison Carter added 13.

Jake Terlecki led the Tigers with 10 points.

Crystal Lake Central tried to prepare for the Bulldogs, but the task was too tall for the Tigers.

"I thought they competed for the most part after that first quarter," Crystal Lake Central coach Joe Capalbo said of his team. "We just had a slow start. We did a nice job of competing after that."

Wauconda will take on host Prairie Ridge on Friday night and despite a strong opener, Luetschwagher wants to see more from his team.

"We just need to secure the basket and score on transition." Luetschwagher said. "We left a lot of points on the board."