Grayslake Central hands Geneva boys basketball first loss at Hinkle Holiday Classic

ALGONQUIN – Grayslake Central saved its best for last.

The seventh-seeded Rams outscored second-seeded Geneva 25-18 in the fourth quarter for a 63-53 win Monday night in a Hinkle Holiday Classic quarterfinal hosted by Jacobs High School.

Grayslake Central (9-2) will play third-seeded Crystal Lake South Thursday in a semifinal game at 7:30 p.m. The third-seeded Gators dropped Naperville North, 77-32.

Chris James scored 13 of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter. James also had 11 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.

“I just play my game,” said James. “I don’t care if I am going against a Division I player or not. I don’t care about rankings or records.”

Grayslake Central coach Brian Centella was impressed with James.

“He is a special kid,” said the Rams coach. “The better competition the better he plays. He is so consistent. It was a good win. We beat a very good Geneva team that is well coached.”

The Rams (9-2) sealed the deal with 13-of-17 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter including 6-of-6 from Alex Granville who scored 12 points with two 3-pointers.

Behind the entire first half, Geneva was looking for a spark. Gabe Jensen provided it with a 3-pointer as the first half buzzer went off to close within 24-20.

Jack Hattan’s conventional 3-point play with 3:45 left in the third quarter got the Vikings (10-1) within 30-29. Geneva didn’t get any closer.

Geneva’s Achilles heal was 3-point shooting. The Vikings connected on only 2-of-20 for 10%.

“Give Grayslake Central a lot of credit,” said Geneva coach Scott Hennig. “Brian is a friend of mine. We got outcoached and outplayed. I blame myself for this loss. I have to do a better job. We will look at the film and get better. I am proud of the guys. They played hard and never quit. They were very physical and we couldn’t get in the gaps. We couldn’t get to the basket and get easy shots.”

Jensen, with Geneva’s only two 3’s, scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter.

Hattan scored 15 and Hudson Kirby, who fouled out with 3:45 left in the game, scored 14 points including 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. The senior center added 11 rebounds.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20241223/boys-basketball/boys-basketball-james-grayslake-central-finish-strong-vs-geneva/