Naperville C. downs Wheaton N.

Naperville Central boys basketball coach Pete Kramer felt more apprehensive than he had in a while heading into Friday night's game against Wheaton North.

Kramer's Redhawks carried a 6-0 DuPage Valley Conference record into their matchup against the Falcons, and Kramer knew Wheaton North is always a tough team to beat at home in conference play.

For a majority of the game, Kramer's worries were spot on, as the Falcons scrapped and clawed to stay with Naperville Central through three quarters. A 22-point fourth quarter for the Redhawks eventually distanced the visitors, giving Naperville Central a 71-50 victory in Wheaton.

"I was more nervous for this game than a lot of games because of (Wheaton North's scrappiness)," Kramer said. "Not only are they home, but they're hungry. When you're 5-10, and you've got a team that's undefeated in your conference, that can make or break your season."

Naperville Central (16-2, 7-0 DVC) looked ready to stomp the Falcons out early, jumping out to an 11-0 lead and forcing Wheaton North into an 0-9 start from the floor. Just as Kramer predicted, though, the Falcons refused to fade. Wheaton North promptly followed with a 20-9 run, capped by a Jeff Schalk three-pointer to pull even with the Redhawks at 20.

"You've just got to keep going, and I think that's one thing that we've maybe learned here," Wheaton North (5-11, 1-6 DVC) coach Jim Nazos said.

"You've got to keep playing and keep playing and keep playing, and gradually get yourself back in."

Naperville Central paid little mind to all the efforts the Falcons put into climbing back into the game in the second quarter, outscoring the home team 22-10 in the final period. The Redhawks shot 88 percent in the closing quarter, compared to just 20 percent for Wheaton North.

The Redhawks altered their defensive strategy at halftime, switching from a zone defense to a man-to-man look that flustered the Falcons for much of the second half.

"Switching to that man-to-man defense really put some pressure on them," Redhawks guard Drew Crawford said. "Doing that, we were able to get some more possessions. Our defense kind of transitioned into our offense."

Crawford paced the visitors with a game-high 35 points, drawing multiple defenders on several occasions that opened up opportunities for the rest of the team - particularly David Mallet, who chipped in 15 points of his own.

"I was just getting after it," Mallett said. "When I play harder defense I think I get easier shots.

"When Drew's driving he gets two or three guys coming at him, and we've just got to knock down the shots."