Kraus sparks Glenbard North to win

After scoring just 4 first-quarter points Friday night against DuPage Valley Conference rival Naperville North, the Glenbard North boys basketball team badly needed an offensive spark.

The catalyst? Senior guard Bryan Kraus.

Kraus hit a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter, giving the Panthers enough momentum to catch Naperville North and tie the game at 20-20 heading into halftime.

The rest of the Panthers soon caught Kraus' fire, as Glenbard North knocked down 7 second-half 3s en route to defeating the Huskies 61-54 in Carol Stream.

"You can't say enough about Kraus," fellow senior guard James Fleming said. "Bryan Kraus came in and shot the lights out.

"The guy can hit down the shot."

With starting guard Mike Carev sitting out Friday night's game, Kraus felt an extra onus to emerge off the bench and deliver.

"I knew I had to knock down shots today with Mike out, and my teammates found me when I was open and I knocked them down," Kraus said.

Glenbard North (10-8, 4-4 DuPage Valley Conference) faced an uphill battle throughout the entire first half, allowing the Huskies to score the game's first 9 points. Point guard Anthony Keener found a wide open Reggie Davis for a chip-in with 4:10 before halftime, tying the game at 14-14.

Keener also knocked in the Panthers' first basket in the second half, a 3-pointer which gave Glenbard North its first lead of the game at 23-22.

According to Panthers coach Joe Larson, a suffocating defensive effort deserved most of the credit for keeping the home team within striking distance.

"We took some time to figure some things out, out there," Larson said. "Our defense is what held us in the game.

"(With) them getting out to a 9-0 lead, we needed that defense to hold them right there for a while."

A James Fleming 3-pointer with 2:35 remaining in the third gave Glenbard North a 37-30 advantage, its largest to that point. Kraus' final 3 of the night swelled the lead to a game-high 47-34, but the Huskies (14-5, 4-4) nailed 3 quick layups to pull back within 7.

Naperville North never got closer than 5 points in the fourth quarter as the Huskies struggled all night with the ball.

"We were very selfish today, for the first time in a long time," Huskies coach Jeff Powers said.

Fleming called Friday's victory the best yet this season.

"Naperville North is a very good team," he said, "and a win like this is definitely a confidence-builder."