Willowbrook figures it out

Perhaps the longest week of the season for Willowbrook's boys basketball team also turned out to be its best.

Four games, four victories.

The whirlwind began at the Sterling MLK Classic where, after two wins on Jan. 17, the Warriors won twice on Monday. Combined with Friday and Saturday wins over Leyden and Proviso East, Willowbrook (14-6, 3-3 West Suburban Gold) stretched its winning streak to eight straight.

Not bad for a team that won only twice all of last season.

"The guys are starting to figure it out," said Willowbrook coach Chris Perkins, whose team hasn't lost since he gave his players more than a week off following the Glenbard West Holiday Classic. "The expectations are getting higher, and they're responding."

The buzz around the program hit a new high last weekend. The Warriors beat Leyden 57-55 in overtime on Friday on Kyle Rushing's putback, then won 68-65 Saturday at Proviso East - the program's first win over the Pirates since 2009 - when sophomore Alonzo Verge Jr. knocked down a game-winning 3-pointer.

Verge has been on a scoring tear all season, but especially last week when he scored 115 points in the four wins. Verge, averaging 21.3 points, broke program records last Monday by hitting eight 3-pointers and scoring 45 points against Montini. He then scored 35 points in the win over Proviso East.

With senior leaders Rushing and Jake Bruns also playing well, the Warriors are hitting their stride after an inconsistent start to the season. They'll face another tough weekend with back-to-back Gold games against Addison Trail and Hinsdale South, two teams also playing well.

If the last month is any indication, Willowbrook will be ready.

"Earlier in the year a lot of our losses were attributed to us not being experienced in close games," Perkins said. "We've learned to win those close games, and that'll be important with all the big games we have coming up."

Mixing it up:

If you were to compile a list of teams you wouldn't want to play at the end of the season, Naperville North likely would be on it.

The Huskies (10-8, 3-2 DuPage Valley Conference) have been up and down all season - won two, lost two...won five, lost three - but there are clear signs they'll be a tough out come playoff time.

Naperville North leans heavily on a half-dozen seniors led by Baylor Griffin, but the postseason promise lies with the three sophomores who collectively made their first start in last Friday's DVC win over Glenbard North. The trio of Mitch Lewis, Cam Hardy and Winston Elston started again in Saturday's 56-50 win over East Aurora.

With three classes of players mixing together including junior Jelani McClain, a third-year varsity member, it's taken time for the Huskies to develop a winning chemistry. Coach Jeff Powers believes it's starting to blend nicely.

"This team is really, really special," Powers said. "The Alex Garons, the (Zachary) Tuxhorns, Deon (Merrill), Baylor, Brian Dalton. They're just great, great leaders. It's been neat to watch."

Naperville North needed the sophomores to hit the ground running in November, and now they've become integral parts of the lineup. It's made the Huskies a much deeper team, and the potential for success has provided motivation throughout the roster.

The Huskies face an immense test this weekend when they play Lake Park on Friday and St. Charles East on Saturday. Combined, they boast a record of 34-5.

"The seniors have had to sacrifice because these three sophomores are talented," Powers said. "They're sacrificing, but they're also competing."

Third-quarter blues:

For most of the season, the third quarter has been kind to Wheaton North, but not in last Friday's DuPage Valley Conference loss to Lake Park.

The Lancers outscored Wheaton North 19-6 in the frame, quickly reversing a 5-point Falcons halftime lead. It's one of the few times Wheaton North hasn't controlled the third quarter.

"We've made a lot of good runs in the third this year," said Falcons coach Dave Brackmann. "Unfortunately we've started a lot of games poorly. We've got to figure out a way to be ready for the pace of the game from the start. We know how it's going to look. It's not going to be surprising to us."

About those starts...

The Falcons fell behind 15-3 to Lake Park last Friday. Even though they rallied to take the halftime lead, it's something they can't rely upon every night.

Especially on nights like that when they also experience rare third-quarter struggles. Foul trouble to leading scorers Nick Traversa and Nick Jordan didn't help, but Brackmann knows his team needs to overcome adversity.

"When you've got two guys that are sort of the heart and soul of your team that couldn't really get in a rhythm because they're coming in and out so much, that certainly hurt," Brackmann said. "But other guys have to step up."

A new No. 1:

Neuqua Valley senior Connor Raridon claimed one program record and climbed the ladder in another in the Wildcats' 96-55 win over East Aurora on Jan. 27.

Raridon made eight 3-point baskets and went 10 for 10 from the free-throw line to score 40 points. That's 2 more than the 38 scored by early program stalwart Keelan Amelianovich in a game in 2002.

Raridon's personal-high helped him move past his brother, 2009 Upstate Eight Conference MVP Derek Raridon, into third all-time among Neuqua Valley scorers. Entering the season in 18th place with 509 points, Connor Raridon's 375 points entering Friday's home game against Bartlett vaults him to 884 all-time.

Next up is another former conference MVP, 2013 graduate Jabari Sandifer, with 928. Amelianovich's 1,291 points and Dwayne Evans' 1,162 are the Wildcats' Nos. 1-2 scorers. Connor Raridon already has Neuqua's leading marks in free throws made and attempted, last season's 130 of 167. Currently 103 of 122 with a minimum six games left this year, he has a chance to top that.

East Aurora's collection of speedy 3-point shooters didn't fare any better Tuesday than when the teams played for the title of the Tomcats' own holiday tournament. Neuqua Valley won that game 92-72 with a whopping six players - Raridon, Zach Lendino, Jacob Eminger, Joe Sieger, Demond George and Oakley Bunce - scoring in double figures .

On Friday Neuqua (19-3, 8-1) looks to avenge one of its few losses on the season to Bartlett. The Hawks (15-6, 6-2) join only outstanding Rockford Auburn and Normal to have defeated the Wildcats, and stand 1.5 games behind Neuqua in Upstate Eight Valley Division standings.

Statistics Neuqua Valley will want to reverse from Bartlett's 59-54 victory on Dec. 12 are 1-of-17 shooting from 3-point range, and 14 first-half points.