Nothing is over in the DuPage Valley
Naperville Central extended its lead atop the DuPage Valley Conference to three games with five to play after Tuesday's 69-64 win over second-place Glenbard East.
The Redhawks aren't taking anything for granted, though. Not with a trip to Naperville North slated for Friday night.
"It's not going to take much to get these guys up for Naperville North," said Redhawks coach Pete Kramer. "We're focused on one game at a time. We want to win the outright title."
Still, Tuesday's win was a significant step for the Redhawks (19-2, 9-0), who had to share last year's title with Wheaton North. Coming off last week's win over West Aurora, Naperville Central dealt a heavy blow to two of the main DVC challengers in a matter of days.
"I don't feel like it's going to be easy, I just feel like some of the pressure's off," Kramer said. "We can stumble and still have a lead."
Spartan pride: In the form of a Saturday doubleheader, Aurora University will honor four graduates who have since become head basketball coaches at the Chicago-area high schools. The list includes Naperville North hall of fame coach Mark Lindo, a 1980 graduate whose son and father also went to Aurora.
The event kicks off in AU's Thornton Gymnasium with a 3 p.m. Saturday game between Naperville North and Crystal Lake South, coached by 2001 AU graduate Dan DeBruycker.
Jason Buckley, a 1998 Aurora graduate who played for Lindo at Naperville North, leads his Oswego East squad in a 4:30 p.m. game against Richmond-Burton, coached by 1997 AU grad Chris Nolen.
Buckley, one of the event organizers, will cap the day Saturday night by welcoming the coaches and others to his house for a mini-reunion.
"It's a fun opportunity," Lindo said. "It's kind of a fraternity, and I think we all feel a little Spartan pride."
On the edge: The win-loss record may not show it, but Wheaton North coach Jim Nazos truly believes his young team is close to turning the corner.
The Falcons start sophomores Mike Fitzpatrick and Jeff Schalk alongside junior point guard Mike Small and seniors Zach Dungee and Trey Martin. They bring a third sophomore, Richard Finley, off the bench.
The growing pains have been many during the team's current seven-game losing streak, but Nazos already looks forward to the playoffs.
"We're starting to play the right way, it's just frustrating to not get rewarded with the wins," Nazos said. "We've been practicing well, we just have to believe something good's going to happen here soon.
"I don't think we'll be on anyone's radar come the tournament, but we welcome that challenge," he said.
Not so free: Mired in a tough losing streak, Fenton coach Dennis Cromer has tried a bit of everything to shake his team free of the victory drought.
No matter how much the Bison work on it in practice, though, poor free-throw shooting continues to haunt them. The team's 4-of-14 performance from the line in last week's loss to Ridgewood was just the latest example, as was their 3-of-14 shooting in a recent loss to Timothy Christian.
"We know we're not going to shoot 70 percent, but we've got to do better than that," Cromer said.
After 10-of-26 and 13-of-32 free-throw shooting in earlier games, the Bison are a cumulative 46 percent this season. It's a major reason why they've scored less than 40 points 10 times and lost games despite fine defensive performances.
"We've gotten to the line our share," Cromer said. "But if we don't finish around the hoop it ends up being about like a turnover because we don't get anything at the line."
Got their number: Immaculate Conception, 15-7, is having its best season in two decades. Montini is 2-17. Yet both of the Broncos' victories have come against IC, in 11- and 14-point margins.
What gives?
"I think honestly, the secret is a neighborhood rivalry," said Montini first-year coach Brian Opoka. "When you grow up together there is more on the line."
Opoka said that for last Saturday's 67-53 alumni night victory his players added pieces to the scouting report on the Knights, a practice "which I hadn't seen yet."
It helped that Montini shot better from 90 percent from the foul line, that seniors Anthony Blashewski and Zach Brash each scored 19 points, that junior Paul Brar came off the bench to supply crucial bursts.
Blashewski, a three-year starter, added 12 rebounds, 6 steals, 5 assists, filled in at point guard when Jordan Werner's back creaked and guarded talented IC sophomore Demitrius Mobley.
It didn't hurt that IC lacked three-year varsity player Antonio Taylor for the game, and that 6-foot-5 center Matt Purdom - "one of the elite players in the area," Opoka said - had foul trouble in a 20-point effort.
"Our best offense is him having to sit next to the Gatorade cooler," Opoka said of Purdom.
"I do know we play as hard as we can every game," Opoka said. "On paper we probably shouldn't have been in that game, but we were. And if we're in it, we might as well be in it for the whole game."
The Essig Report: Since 1990, Aurora basketball analyst Charlie Essig has fit many of the state's basketball teams into a computer program that ranks them weighted mightily on strength of schedule.
Through games of Jan. 31, 22-1 Neuqua Valley ranks highest among the locals in the latest Essig Report, which features Class 3A and 4A schools. The Wildcats have climbed to No. 4, 41 slots ahead of No. 45 East Aurora, the only team to defeat Neuqua this season.
Glenbard East earns a No. 24 ranking and Naperville Central a No. 28. Other teams in the top 100 are No. 42 Downers Grove South, No. 70 Wheaton Warrenville South, No. 84 Glenbard South and No. 88 Waubonsie Valley.
The only teams Essig rates ahead of Neuqua Valley are Thornton, North Lawndale and Whitney Young.
The North Suburban Lake gets the highest conference power rating, with the Upstate Eight pulling in at No. 6 and DuPage Valley at No. 10.
For a complete look at the Essig Report, visit the Web site of Hoop Mountain Midwest Boys basketball, Ed Ross and Bob Schmidt directors, at: hoopmountainmidwest.com.