Girls water polo: Naperville North can't divert Naperville Central from path to state
The Naperville Central girls water polo team downed Naperville North 10-4 on Saturday in the Neuqua Valley sectional final.
After coach Jeff Plackett took the traditional jump into the pool with his team and the sectional championship plaque, he was asked what impressed him the most about the top-ranked team in the state, 31-2 overall and making its third straight trip to the state finals.
"It's depth. It's knowing that there's a roster full of players that are all capable of contributing to the team.
"Somebody is always there to pick us up and have their day. We have players that do all the little things that might not show on the scoresheet," he said.
And that helped the Redhawks confirm a state quarterfinal match at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire against New Trier. The Trevians won the Glenbrook North sectional final 7-5 over Evanston. Match time is 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
Plackett considered three players crucial to Saturday's win. Starting goalie Sara Campbell finished with 8 saves. Emily Rodgers scored all 3 of her goals in the second quarter to help Naperville Central build its lead, and the Redhawks coach praised Anne Marie Gunn's defense.
Rylee Brower and Charlotte Albright scored within 42 seconds of each other in the opening quarter to put the Redhawks up 2-0. Then with 3:23 remaining in the period Isabelle Rocco made it a 2-1 match. Just 22 seconds later, Brower scored her second goal of the morning.
The second quarter saw the Redhawks convert 4 shots on goal out of 6 into scores to take a 7-2 halftime advantage.
"There's a lot of adrenaline and there were first-quarter jitters," said Naperville Central's Emily Westlove, who also scored 3 goals. "But we pushed it to the end starting in the second quarter."
The big lead was helpful. The Huskies owned the third quarter. They kept the Redhawks off the scoresheet during the seven minutes, and Taylor Wessel scored.
Westlove scored twice and Alli Hansen once in the final quarter to dry the ink on the scoresheet.
"The key is communicating, being spread out in the pool, always talking to each other, encouraging each other, helping each other," Westlove said.
Naperville North finished the season at 21-10. Coach Andy McWhirter praised his squad for what they showed against Naperville Central.
"The girls did awesome. The girls did awesome in that third quarter. It showed that we can play with anyone in the state of Illinois," he said.
So the Redhawks head to state. There have been plenty of accolades. The players, though, are determined to stay on the course that has made them successful.
"We may have been given the top ranking, but we need to continue to focus on the little things in practice and focus on the games," Campbell said.