DVC race could go down to last game

Anything can happen with three games remaining in the DuPage Valley Conference season. The possible scenarios are endless as the three title contenders duke it out tonight, Saturday and Wednesday.

Wheaton North and Naperville Central are tied atop the standings with 9-2 records while West Aurora, after Monday's shocking loss to Glenbard North, is a game back at 8-3.

Wheaton North plays tonight at home against Glenbard East before facing the other front-runners in the last two games. Saturday the Falcons travel to West Aurora and close Wednesday at home against Naperville Central.

Naperville Central plays at Wheaton Warrenville South tonight and has a home game Saturday against West Chicago before facing the showdown at Wheaton North.

West Aurora is at West Chicago tonight, at home Saturday against Wheaton North and travels to Glenbard East on Wednesday.

Whether it's with an outright champion, co-champs or tri-champs, don't expect anything to be decided until the final buzzer sounds Wednesday night.

Limping: Just when Glenbard East (11-11) thought it was rounding into shape, along came a round of injuries.

Starting sophomore guard Jack Merrithey is out for the season with a broken thumb suffered in the varsity football finale against Naperville Central. Merrithey, a quarterback for the Rams, had surgery last week to repair the lingering damage.

"There's a broken bone in there and they had to put a pin in," said Rams coach Scott Miller. "We lose some depth at the guard position, but it is what it is. Other kids have to step up."

Merrithey, who played through the injury for most of the season, is expected to be back at full strength in time for a busy summer of football and basketball as a returning starter in both sports.

The basketball team, meanwhile, suffered another key loss in Monday's loss to Wheaton Warrenville South when senior guard Derak Stanback -- the lone returning starter heading into the season -- injured his right shoulder while fighting for a loose ball.

Stanback came back to play in the WW South game but missed Tuesday's game against St. Charles East.

Time to regroup: Naperville North needed some down time.

Last week the Huskies (8-15) wrapped up three straight games against the three DuPage Valley Conference leaders -- West Aurora, Naperville Central and Wheaton North. Naperville North won one of the games, upsetting West Aurora on its home court.

But on the heels of last Thursday's loss at home to Wheaton North -- a game moved up a day because of a wrestling sectional being hosted by Naperville North -- Huskies coach Mark Lindo decided his team needed a break.

After going light in practice the next couple of days, he gave his team Monday off.

They came back refreshed Tuesday to prepare for tonight's DVC game at Glenbard North.

"The best thing for us right now is to not play for eight days," Lindo said. "Hopefully, we have some rejuvenation and some energy for Glenbard North, Wheaton South and West Chicago."

Fresh bodies: If you don't play defense at Neuqua Valley, you don't play.

That's the conventional thought and, if true, then Wildcats coach Todd Sutton has plenty of people excelling on defense.

"We just play a lot of guys," Sutton said after Neuqua went though 16 of them in last Saturday's 76-48 win over Upstate Eight Conference foe Lake Park. "Fresh bodies, keeps the intensity up."

While Sutton has altered his starting lineup since early in the season, there is little difference between the players announced as starters and those who come off the bench.

"When somebody's having an off-night, his replacement probably won't have an off-night," Sutton said. "One night it's Brad (Keeler), one night it's Anton (Wilkins). Some nights it's Dwayne (Evans) at the 4 (forward), some nights it's Derek Raridon at the 4."

Neuqua Valley's game against Lake Park was the fourth time in six games the Wildcats had scored at least 72 points. Yet Sutton favors his team's play on defense over offense right now.

"The kids played real well on the defense end," Sutton said. "Offensively, we've got to clean it up a bit."

Pick me up: St. Francis assistant coaches Mike Harper and Bob Rizzo helped get the Spartans over the hump last week at Immaculate Conception, according to coach Shawn Healy.

Coming out of halftime after seeing the Knights take a 18-9 lead, Healy said the key was playing with more energy.

Rizzo and Harper, the Spartans' 24-year head coach through 2006, helped provide a lift.

"I think, honestly, Harps and Bobby Rizzo, our staff was very energetic the third quarter and throughout the rest of the game. We stayed on the kids and I think the kids actually fed off it a little bit," Healy said.

"I'm not trying to say it's coaching, but I think they got energized. We kind of got after them."

After making 3 of 21 field goal attempts and 0 of 10 from the 3-point arc, St. Francis went 13 of 23 in the second half from the floor, 5 of-9 from 3-point range to post a 52-37 win.

"And," Healy said, "it helps when you knock down some shots."