Traversa proves he can shoot the 3

After his second 3-pointer Nick Traversa knew it was his night.

By his ninth, he knew it was a career night.

The senior forward's game-high 27 points powered Wheaton North to Saturday's 63-54 nonconference win over visiting Hinsdale South.

The Falcons (4-0) hit 14 3-pointers as a team - including two apiece by Nick Jordan and Kar Reng - as they built a 25-point third-quarter lead. Hinsdale South (2-4) clawed closer with a 15-0 fourth-quarter run, but even that only pulled the Hornets within 8 points.

"For the most part it was just my teammates getting me open, setting screens for me and just freeing me to shoot the 3," Traversa said. "Everyone had it going. It was just a good team win."

Six-foot-10 Hornets center Barret Benson, with Vanderbilt scouting the highly touted junior, scored 17 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Nine of his points came from the free-throw line.

"We haven't been very good defending the 3 all year, and that's been a big thing for us," said Hinsdale South coach Brett Moore. "We've got to step that up. It's got to be something we improve with."

Hinsdale South stayed within 20-17 after a three-point play by Iman Reynolds late in the second quarter but Traversa hit three straight 3s in the final two minutes, including one at the buzzer, while helping the Falcons to a 29-17 halftime lead. Traversa then made it four straight 3s in the opening seconds of the third quarter.

Three-pointers by Jordan, who scored 7 of his 16 points in the third quarter, and Rowan McGowan expanded the margin to 25 points in the final minutes of the third quarter.

It was an especially impressive effort by the Falcons considering they beat cross-town rival Wheaton Warrenville South on Friday while Hinsdale South had the night off. There were few signs of sluggishness from Wheaton North.

Reng scored 8 points for the Falcons off the bench while McGowan added 7 points. Brian Kern scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half for Hinsdale South.

"We haven't shot a ton of 3s," said Wheaton North coach Dave Brackmann. "The game kind of played itself out where we got a lot of open looks and were shooting it really well. We kind of took what the defense gave us. We have a versatile team, so it's nice to be able to attack with whatever the defense is giving us."

Follow Kevin on Twitter @kevin_schmit