Waukegan rolls past Libertyville, heads home for sectional
There's been something conspicuously absent in Lake County basketball — a Waukegan sectional.
The old gym on the corner of Washington and Jackson Streets has been a March staple for decades. Next week, the boys Class 4A sectional returns to Waukegan for the first time since 2019.
The host school punched its ticket with a 73-57 victory over host Libertyville in Friday's regional final. Waukegan (23-7) will face Rockford Guilford on Wednesday in the sectional semis.
“A big goal of ours was to get back to our place next week,” Bulldogs coach Ron Ashlaw said. “What's really fun about this group right now is they're all finding their way to their ceilings together. Those are dangerous playoff teams. We've got a whole bunch of guys ascending at the same time.”
This may not even be the year this Waukegan team peaks. The Bulldogs' three leading scorers in this game were juniors — 6-4 guard Simereon Carter led the way with 21 points, 6-7 center Rico Love added 19 and point guard Carter Newsome scored 16.
The group welcomed two new additions this year. Love is a transfer from Chicago Manley, while 6-3 senior Xavi Granville moved over from Grayslake Central.
“At the beginning, we started slow like a usual team,” Carter said. “Over time, being together, seeing each other in school and stuff, we just love each other. So the bond is all the way there, the chemistry there.”
Libertyville relied early on 6-foot-8 junior Bryce Wegryzn, who scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half. A couple of bench players kept the Wildcats within striking distance late, with Trevor Wallace and Jonathan Adjei combining to hit 7 baskets from 3-point range, all but one of those in the second half.
“We talked to our guys about not letting them dictate tempo with their speed,” Libertyville coach Bryan Zyrkowski said. “Our goal was to slow them down, but it's very hard to slow that team down. There's a reason they're the No. 1 seed.”
The Wildcats (16-14) managed to keep the game at a reasonable pace for most of the first half, and trailed 34-24 at halftime. Waukegan's pressure defense started to create some havoc in the third quarter and Carter's dunk off a steal put the Bulldogs up 50-32 with three minutes left in the third. Libertyville's 3-pointers cut into the lead, but not enough to make a difference.
Wegryzn showed he's a player to watch for the Class of 2026 as a big man with some mobility and a decent outside shot. Freshman Terrence Davis scored 8 points and has a bright future.
“(Wegrzyn) has got a lot to learn,” Zyrkowski said. “He's a guy that cares. He's a guy that wants to succeed and win. He's got a lot of upside, he's got a lot of room to grow and he's going to be ready to go next year.”