Naperville North @ Naperville Central

Naperville North (3-5, 0-2) at Naperville Central (4-4, 0-2)

Without a DuPage Valley Conference win for either side, an added sense of tension fills tonight's cross-town game. "We're two competitive teams in dire need of something positive in the league," said Naperville North coach Mark Lindo. Jake Hasse enjoyed his best game of the season against West Aurora, dishing 7 assists in last week's 48-44 loss. The Huskies failed to close on the Blackhawks despite building a 9-point second-half lead, but after their first full week of practice the Huskies feel confident. Austin Weiss and Tom Walsh are developing into consistent scoring threats. Six-foot-six Joe McNicholas and 6-8 Matt Hasse, both sophomores, do a nice job controlling things inside. Naperville Central counters with a smaller lineup, although Matt Jones plays bigger than 6-3. Matt Neufeld, at 6-4, is another talented sophomore post. The key for the Redhawks lies on the perimeter. Junior Drew Crawford, who tallied 17 points in Saturday's 63-56 loss to Neuqua Valley, is the team's leading scorer. He also helped boost the offense from the point guard spot. Harrison Daniels, who missed last week's games because of a football recruiting trip to Princeton, gives the team a potent outside shooter. "It's their size against our scrappiness," coach Pete Kramer said.