Rams apply too much pressure for Streaks to handle

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WOODSTOCK – Friday’s matchup between the Woodstock and Grayslake Central boys basketball teams was a game of scoring runs, and the Blue Streaks were on the wrong side of each one.

The taller, stronger Rams used pressure defense to force turnovers and patiently picked apart Woodstock’s zone defense en route to an 83-51 Fox Valley Conference Fox Division win.

“We’ve had a lot of work against zones lately,” Central coach Brian Moe said. “So I think our kids executed against the zone, got the ball to the middle, kind of looked and found the open guy. It was a good team effort.”

The victory kept Grayslake Central (10-6 overall, 3-0 FVC Fox) undefeated in the Fox heading into Wednesday’s showdown with Johnsburg (13-0, 2-0) at Grayslake.

Woodstock (4-12, 0-1) opened the game with a three-pointer from Jyron Aparri, but that was their only lead of the game. The Rams’ inside game, led by seniors Josh Rappaport and Andrew Sipes, helped them score the next 12 points on high-percentage shots, and the Rams finished the quarter with a 25-13 lead.

Woodstock coach Alex Baker said the Streaks didn’t shoot poorly – they were 4 for 8 from three-point range in the first half and 5 of 10 inside the arc. But they just didn’t get enough shots because the Rams were able to force turnovers.

“We weren’t getting enough shots because we were giving them the ball,” Baker said.

Grayslake Central took a commanding 45-24 lead in the second quarter, finishing with a 10-0 run before halftime.

Sipes (18 points) had eight of the Rams’ points in that stretch, including two layups after blocks by Rappaport, who finished with a team-high 19 points.

“We tried to keep it slow, we tried to keep it to the basics, and it worked,” Sipes said.

Senior Mike Sutter led the Blue Streaks with a game-high 21 points, but he had difficulty establishing a rhythm offensively against the Rams’ defense, particularly when the starters were in.

“They did a very good job of doubling me in the high post and slapping the ball out of my hands when I drove,” Sutter said.