The red-hot Varsity Boys basketball team took down six-seed Grayslake Central 48-27 last night to extend their winning streak to 13 and, more importantly, move on to the Sectional Final.

The one-seeded Scouts got out to an early lead in the first quarter with a corner three from senior Alex Forowycz and a couple of quick midrange shots from top-ranked junior Asa Thomas to put them ahead 15-8.

As the second quarter began, both teams set the tone defensively. Senior point guard Sam Gibson secured two steals for the Scouts in the quarter. Offensively, Gibson described the pace as slow. 

“We had a slow scoring quarter in the second, especially in the first three minutes, so we focused on getting the ball inside more from then on,” Gibson said.

And get the ball inside they did, as sophomore Tommie Aberle flourished in the paint. Carrying the scoring load with six out of the Scouts’ eight points, Aberle sent them into halftime with a lead of 23-15.

The same mentality of getting points in the paint was shown to be a talking point in the locker room as Thomas immediately opened up the third quarter with a short floater followed by layups by Gibson and Aberle. Not only did the Scouts dominate the paint, but they continued their exceptional defensive play, allowing only five points in the quarter and taking a 38-20 lead into the fourth quarter.

More of the same from the Scouts in the fourth led to a comfortable 21 point win as chants from the Scout crowd of “This ones over!” echoed through the North Chicago halls. 

Although the Scouts finished the game shooting a measly 1-13 from three, this commanding win shows that they don’t rely on the three-ball to win games and their scoring down low, execution at the free-throw line, and defense can still put them ahead in games by double digits.

“I think regardless of how we’re shooting, other teams respect our ability to shoot and that creates easy driving lanes for me to get in the paint, like in tonight’s game,” Aberle said.

Aberle finished the game with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, and Forowycz tacked on 11 of his own points. Thomas had 10 points and 6 rebounds, and Gibson had 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals.

The Scouts will take on the winner of number two-seeded Saint Patrick and five-seeded Carmel Catholic on Friday at North Chicago at 7 p.m. for the sectional final.