WW South 51, Naperville North 49

Wheaton Warrenville South trailed Naperville North by 8 points with less than a minute to play. To pull out the victory, the Tigers would have to do everything right and get a little lucky.

All of the above happened, and the Tigers left Naperville with a 51-49 boys basketball victory Friday in the DuPage Valley Conference.

It all started with a free throw by sophomore Derek Babb, followed by a 3-pointer in the right corner by Stephen Dolatowski with 50 seconds remaining that cut the deficit to 49-45.

Then it was senior Kendrick Perry's turn to get into the action. He picked off an errant pass and went in uncontested for a dunk, cutting the margin to 49-47 with 34 ticks left on the clock.

After getting the ball back the Tigers called their last timeout and decided to put the ball in Babb's hands. With shooters standing in both corners, Babb took the ball to the middle of the lane and put up a floater that dropped through the net, tying the game at 49-49.

"I saw the clock and I decided to go to the basket when I saw it hit five seconds," Babb said. "I know we needed to score, so I took it to the basket thinking I was going to get fouled. I didn't and I hit the runner."

That gave the ball to Naperville North (5-12, 1-5) with two seconds left. The Huskies opted to throw a baseball pass with no one on the opposite side of court but Babb. Babb showed his basketball intelligence by letting it go out of bounds untouched, knowing the Tigers would inbound the ball under their own basket.

"I was so close to just picking the ball up and chucking, I'm glad I didn't in retrospect," Babb said.

The Tigers (9-6, 2-4) executed an inbounds play they have been practicing all season long. They usually set a back screen for Perry and throw a lob up to him and let him try to finish, but this time they put a little twist on it.

From the sidelines WW South coach Mike Healy screamed at Sam Carlson to get low and try to get inside position. He did and he got the ball right under the basket and put the ball up and in as the horn sounded, giving the Tigers the win.

"All I could think about was just finish," Carlson said.

Naperville North coach Mark Lindo said that out of all the years he has been coaching, this year he has seen the most games go down to the wire. Even though the Huskies lost some of the other games, this one hurt.

"I feel for our guys right now," Lindo said. "I have to tip my hat to (the Tigers), though. They did everything and more than they needed to, to pull out the victory. We turned the ball over, missed shots, didn't rebound and then let them score after we did all that. We need to work on getting the doubts out of our heads in close ballgames."

Perry and Babb both scored 16 points in the win.

Jake Hasse scored a game-high 18 points, and Austin Weiss chipped in with 11 for the Huskies.

-- Jason Watt

Naperville Central 62, West Chicago 30:ŒRare is the high school basketball game in which every player who sees the court contributes to the team's victory in a positive way, yet that's precisely what Naperville Central received in its road win over West Chicago.

From junior Drew Crawford, the Redhawks' go-to option on offense, to senior role players like Matt Jones and Mike Schmitz, Naperville Central's starting five immediately set the tone for a lopsided win.

The Redhawks (11-5, 4-2 DuPage Valley Conference) relied primarily on their defense -- led by Schmitz's aggressiveness defending the point -- to jump out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter. Additionally, Naperville Central kept West Chicago without a field goal for the first 9:38 of the game, when senior guard Jon Reyes hit a 3-pointer to cut the Redhawks' lead to 20-6.

"I thought we just fed off our defense tonight," said Redhawks coach Pete Kramer. "Coming over here is never easy. Any away game in the conference is never easy, so I just thought we were just going to get it done defensively and let our offense just happen.

Kramer lauded Schmitz afterward, saying that while he may not score many points, Schmitz's defense keeps the Redhawks clicking.

"He's just an outstanding defender, and you can't coach that. We continue to strive to him, 'You set the tone here. You find out who's taking the ball up, and that's yours,' " Kramer said of Schmitz. "He works very hard, and he does a lot of the dirty work."

The Redhawks swelled their lead to 37-11 after two quarters, backed by a pair of 3s by Harrison Daniels.

However, it wasn't just the starters adding to the team success. The Naperville Central bench combined for 18 points on the night, led by 6-foot-4 Joe Rickert, who scored 9 points.

Sophomore Matt Neufeld led all scorers with 14 points as his progression continues throughout his first full year on varsity.

"He's getting better each game," Kramer said. "I thought tonight he did a really nice job keeping pace, and he actually hurt them with his size."

West Chicago coach Kevin Gimre acknowledged the Redhawks' defensive aggression knocked the Wildcats (1-16, 0-6) right off their feet.

"It's one of the things we always have difficulty with, and that's handling the pressure," Gimre said. "They came out, and that was their game plan at the beginning, to just really put the pressure on, and see what their defense can do for them.

"That's what got us; there's no question about it."

-- Matthew McClarey

Marmion 65, Driscoll 56:ŒRashon Burno likens his Marmion Cadets to a mercurial stock market.

They were pretty bullish in Addison.

Marmion bounced back from two losses the week before with a win at Suburban Catholic Conference rival Driscoll.

Tyler Smith scored 24 points and Bryce Emory 17 for the Cadets (7-7, 3-4), who lost by 21 to Driscoll in December in Aurora.

"This is a young team," Burno said, "and they're going to be up, and they're going to be down. We just clicked on all cylinders tonight. It's a great win for the school, and for the kids."

Marmion came out sizzling from the field, Smith knocking down 3 of the Cadets' six 3-pointers in the first half. Marmion led 28-26 at the half, Driscoll's Don Sullivan banking in a 3-point shot from almost midcourt as time expired. Marmion hit 6 of 10 attempts from 3-point range in the first half.

"We didn't do a very good job contesting their shots," Driscoll coach Nick Latorre said. "They were pretty much shooting uncontested jump shots in the first half and parts of the second half."

Driscoll came back in the third quarter, taking a 42-36 lead with 2:43 to go on a score by Jake Lindfors.

But Smith answered with a 3-pointer and running jumper, and after a Driscoll turnover Luke Kolquist put back a miss to give Marmion a 43-42 lead going into the fourth.

"When they went up in the second half, the kids showed that maturity," Burno said. "I don't know if we could have done that a week ago."

Lindfors knocked down a jumper on the first possession of the fourth quarter, but Emory scored to give Marmion the lead for good at 45-44 with 6:41 left. The Cadets salted the game away with 11 free throws down the stretch.

"We really had a great week of practice, and it showed," Smith said. "We knew we could play so much better."

Lindfors, who scored 12 of Driscoll's 14 points in the fourth quarter, finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Matt Kaban added 11 points and 6 boards, and Justin Hejza 9 points for Driscoll (11-6, 4-2), still without the services of senior guard David Schwabe.

Schwabe, out with a severely sprained ankle, did suit up and could play today against Montini.

"I thought our offense was fine, and we had some good looks," Latorre said, "but our defense was just horrible. We just didn't do a good job closing out."

-- Joshua Welge

Walther Lutheran 60, Wheaton Academy 46:ŒWheaton Academy standout guard Ben Euler said it best when asked about what happened during a blitzkrieg first quarter by Walther Lutheran in Friday's Private School League boys basketball showdown.

"We panicked in the first quarter and were like a deer in headlights," Euler said.

The Broncos pressure defense set the tone in the first eight minutes of the game to power the team to a commanding early lead. After the smoke cleared the visiting Warriors had dug themselves too big a hole to get out of as Walther Lutheran prevailed for a 60-46 victory in Melrose Park.

With the triumph the Broncos improved to 4-0 in the PSL and 8-7 overall while Wheaton Academy fell to 3-2 and 10-3.

From the opening tip on, Walther Lutheran's quickness on defense, especially in the full-court press, gave the Warriors a lot of problems as they tried to get their offense in gear. The Broncos forced 13 first-quarter turnovers and scored a number of easy buckets off those mistakes en route to a 16-6 lead after the first eight minutes of play.

"We have a lot of quick players," said Walther Lutheran coach Robert Koehne. "Our philosophy is to force other teams into being uncomfortable. Our pressure defense set the tone.

"Wheaton Academy does a good job when they get their sets. We wanted to disrupt their offense so they couldn't get their sets."

"They put a lot of pressure and we turned it over," added Wheaton Academy coach Paul Ferguson. "It was very physical pressure and we didn't adjust to it very well. Their quickness really hurt us."

The Broncos' defense also focused on denying the ball to Euler, an all-conference player who leads the team in scoring. Euler didn't score his first field goal until early in the third quarter, although the senior still finished with a team-high 11 points. Guard Quinn Gorski chipped in 9 points for the Warriors, while guard Jason Roy and forward Paul Werkema contributed 8 points apiece.

On the flip side, Walther Lutheran's offense was clicking. The Broncos' advantage on the quickness front was clearly evident as their guards got penetration in the lane.

They either took the shot or dished the ball to the soft hands of forward Brian Jackson, who scored a game-high 24 points. Jackson powered home 10 points in the third quarter as Walther Lutheran went ahead by as many as 18 points.

Wheaton Academy rallied to cut the deficit to 8 points in the fourth quarter. Roy nailed a couple of clutch 3-pointers. Euler rang up 7 points as well, including a 3-pointer of his own. Walther Lutheran, however, sealed it on the foul line during crunch time by sinking 12 of 14 free throws.

-- Brian Pitts

Fenton 60, Elmwood Park 50:ŒGood defenders operate best when they follow the tried-and-true approach that Fenton's Darek Potuszynski took in chasing Elmwood Park's John Mazzoni around.

He can't score if he doesn't have the ball.

"I knew (Mazzoni) was a lefty, a slasher, he liked to cut to the middle, and he could shoot the ball," Potuszynski said. "I tried to keep him from getting it and just played the best defense I could.

"I love playing defense. That's my game."

With Damian Sieradzki sharp-shooting his way to 23 points and Gozie Umeadi taking control of the game late in the second half, Potuszynski stuck to the Tigers' most dangerous player like a wet shirt, limiting Mazzoni to 7 points on the day.

"Darek's a good defender, and he's hard-nosed enough not to get discouraged and not relax (defensively)," said Fenton coach Dennis Cromer.

Fenton led 14-11 after a quarter in the Metro Suburban Conference game in Bensenville, and then earned a 17-8 scoring edge in the second quarter that put the Bison (8-8, 3-1) up 31-19 by halftime.

Sieradzki scored 12 points before halftime, and Fenton's Billy Gratzl came out hot in the first half, nailing a pair of 3-pointers and scoring 10 points before the break.

"For us to be respectable, we need three scorers, and we had that tonight," Cromer said.

Gratzl finished with 12 points, while Umeadi finished with 15 points and 7 assists on the night.

Elmwood Park (6-10, 0-4) made its best run at Fenton in the third quarter, outscoring the Bison 15-13 in trailing 44-34 heading into the fourth.

That's when the ball was put firmly in Umeadi's hands. The senior brought the ball up the court, flew past defenders and either took it all the way to the basket or found his teammates for open shots.

An Umeadi layup preceded an Umeadi 17-foot jump shot that put Fenton up 48-34 to start a fourth quarter that see-sawed throughout. The Tigers cut their deficit to 10 on a John Mooi drive, but drives to the basket by Gratzl, Umeadi, and Potuszynski put Fenton up 57-42 with three minutes left to play.

The Tigers made a final offensive push, but Fenton stayed composed and never let its lead slip below 10 points.

"At this point in the season, the way we've been playing, it's a maturity thing," Umeadi said. "Our guys are getting in that groove where they don't feel scared in those moments.

"It's mental toughness, and now we've got guys coming into the game ready to go."

-- Gary Larsen

St. Francis 63, Montini 54:ŒSt. Francis needed a second-half surge in its contest with Montini in Lombard, and it came in the form of senior Dan McCoy.

McCoy knocked down four 3-pointers and scored 14 points in helping the Spartans overcome a first-half deficit to earn a 63-54 win over the Broncos in Suburban Catholic Conference play.

"(McCoy) was on fire. He was unconscious," Spartans head coach Shawn Healy said. "We needed that. We needed to score because we had some guys in foul trouble, so we needed that. Dan came out and he was just on fire."

St. Francis staked a 16-7 first-quarter lead after it put together a 14-2 run on baskets from Bob Vonderhaar, Brian McMahon and Jack Purdom. Montini fought back with a run of its own, a 14-3 clip, thanks to the stellar play from senior Dex Jones, who scored 8 of his 12 points in the second quarter. The Broncos then took a 33-28 lead to halftime after a 3-point play from Zach Brash and Jason Viane's basket.

"We told our guys that if they were patient on offense and made more than one pass (we would do well)," Montini coach Tom Sloan said. "When we ran our half-court man offense (in the first half) and were patient, we were getting opportunities in rhythm and we were able to score."

Jones made it a 39-34 contest on a putback with 4:47 left, but St. Francis countered with a 17-9 run and took a 51-43 lead, an advantage it didn't relinquish, on McCoy's third 3-pointer of the third quarter.

"We didn't do a good job the rest of the game when they changed defenses," Sloan said. "We weren't flashing well inside, and we didn't pass the ball well in the second half."

Vonderhaar finished with a game-high 18 points while McMahon added 17 and Purdom, who connected for four 3-pointers, finished with 12 points for St. Francis (11-4, 5-1).

"I think offensively we're doing a good job, but I think defensively we could be doing some things a little bit better," Healy said. "When you've got the threats that we have it makes things look a lot better. But we've got to dig in deep in the second half of the season because we've got some tough games coming up."

Brash finished with 10 points and Alex Blashewski added 8 for Montini (8-8, 3-4).

"We just weren't aggressive enough in the second half," Sloan said. "The first-half comeback was a positive, but we needed to maintain that and we didn't."

-- Kevin Shepke

Lake Park 61, Streamwood 47:ŒFinally, a knockout punch connected for Lake Park.

The Lancers have struggled to hold onto late leads this season, and it appeared that might happen again against Streamwood.

Lake Park saw a 18-point lead slip to 9 before regaining control to beat the host Sabres.

"We haven't been able to finish teams off," Lake Park junior Lucas Antioho said. "We showed that today and put a team away."

The Lancers (6-11, 1-3 Upstate Eight Conference) grabbed a 13-4 lead six minutes into the first quarter. Streamwood (3-13, 0-5) cut the deficit to 15-10 heading to the second quarter. But Lake Park scored the first 8 points of the second quarter, 6 coming from sophomore Matt Drufke, to take a 23-10 lead. The Lancers' advantage fell below double figures for only 45 seconds in the fourth quarter.

"To get out to a big lead just gave us confidence to keep going," said Antioho, who finished with 14 points and 9 rebounds. "We've been down earlier in the season. It just helped out a lot."

Drufke, who scored a game-high 17 points, scored 5 points in a minute span early in the second half to give Lake Park a 39-21 lead.

The Sabres started chipping away at the deficit. A 3-pointer from Tem Esikiel with 5:15 remaining made it 48-37. Brian Brauer's 3-pointer from the left corner with 1:45 left cut the deficit to 54-45. Forty-five seconds later Drufke hit a pair of free throws to increase the lead back into double figures.

"We've been in a lot of ballgames. We've just had a hard time finishing ballgames," Lake Park coach Cray Allen said. "We had a halftime lead of 13 and I told the kids we need to come out and make sure we don't have anything less than a 13-point win. We had a 14-point win. I'm pretty happy with it."

-- Brian Schaumburg

Glenbard North 65, Glenbard East 59:ŒSophomore James Fleming poured in a game-high 31 points as the Panthers (3-12, 2-4) stunned host Glenbard East (9-6, 4-2) in the DuPage Valley Conference upset in Lombard.

Glenbard North led 29-22 at the half. Marko Govedarica added 9 points and Karaan Singh 8 points.

Derak Stanback led Glenbard East with 15 points while Ben Trefilek and Tom Seagraves each scored 13 points. Zach Miller tallied 10 points.

Lisle 58, Dwight 47:ŒThe visiting Lions (6-13, 4-2) outscored the Trojans (3-10, 1-5) 30-13 in the fourth quarter while pulling away to their Interstate Eight Conference win. Marcus Wilson led the way with 15 points. Andrew Rapciak added 11 points and Matt Bryjak 10 points.

Downers South 68, Addison Trail 47:ŒThe visiting Mustangs (9-6, 3-1) knocked down eight 3-pointers in their West Suburban Gold victory. Malcolm Herron scored a team-high 20 points. Andrius Simulis added 17 and Julius Staisiunas 11 points.

Matt Davies led Addison Trail (3-12, 0-4) with 20 points. Vince Beachem scored 13 points.

York 51, Lyons Twp. 44:ŒThe Dukes (10-5, 3-1) handed Lyons Twp. (13-2, 3-1) its first loss in the West Suburban Silver to pull into a first-place tie. Tom Judge hit four 3-pointers while scoring 19 points. Steve Ganser added 10 points.

Timothy Christian 65, Luther South 23:ŒThe host Trojans (8-10, 2-2) rolled in Elmhurst after opening up a 34-12 halftime lead. Andrew Logan scored 15 points, Joel Sytsma added 13 and Peter Tameling pitched in with 11 points.

Immaculate Conception 64, Marian Central 48: In Suburban Catholic Conference play in Woodstock, Matt Purdom had 23 points and 11 rebounds for IC (7-7, 4-3). Brendan Ryan added 14 points against Marian (2-17, 1-7).