Naperville N. beats W. Chicago for 5th consecutive win
Naperville North's boys basketball team flipped on the switch at the perfect time.
The Huskies will enter the postseason riding a five-game winning streak following Wednesday's 63-54 DuPage Valley Conference win over visiting West Chicago.
"It feels good, and it kind of gives us momentum," said Huskies junior Joe McNicholas, who scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. "We might really be able to make some noise in the state playoffs."
A few key moves bolstered the Huskies' late-season surge, starting with the promotion of Jovonn Griffin and Matt LaCosse from the program's DVC champion sophomore team. Then came the return from injury of senior guard Danny Grimley.
It blended together perfectly over the past three weeks.
"It's completely gratifying for our guys to win the last five games of the regular season," said Huskies coach Mark Lindo. "Our young men stayed with the plan and stayed with the process. Their believability really picked up the last few weeks, and it's a credit to their character."
As Naperville North (12-14, 5-9) rises, however, West Chicago (8-18, 2-12) continues to struggle. The Wildcats will enter the playoffs on an 11-game losing streak.
You certainly couldn't fault the Wildcats' effort on Wednesday. They continually battled back from double-digit deficits, including a 47-34 hole at the start of the fourth quarter following a 6-0 Huskies run.
Charles Jacques knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and Tony Quarto added a third as West Chicago pulled within 53-47 with two minutes left.
The window opened further when Naperville North missed a string of free throws, but the Huskies grabbed some key offensive rebounds. Back-to-back buckets by McNicholas padded the lead back to 58-47.
James O'Shaughnessy scored 12 points for the Huskies while LaCosse added 11 points and 8 rebounds.
Chad Driscoll led West Chicago with 19 points and Ryan Karg had 11 points. Wildcats leading scorer Tyler Griffith scored 7 points before fouling out early in the fourth quarter.
"In the second half we played with more intensity and more heart, but we spent our whole time coming back," said Wildcats coach Kevin Gimre. "I just wish at the beginning of a game we'd have that same kind of fire."
BOX SCORE
Naperville North 63, West Chicago 54
West Chicago - Driscoll 8 0-0 19, Jacques 3 0-0 9, Quarto 1 0-0 3, Karg 5 1-2 11, Griffith 3 1-1 7, Robbins 0 0-0 0, Peterson 1 0-0 3, Robinson 0 0-0 0, Asani 1 0-0 2, Skarin 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 2-3 54.
Naperville North - Beck 1 1-2 4, Grimley 2 3-4 7, Hasse 2 4-4 8, O'Shaughnessy 4 3-7 12, McNicholas 9 1-3 19, LaCosse 5 1-3 11, Bushman 0 2-2 2, Griffin 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 15-25 63.
West Chicago 9 12 13 20 -54
Naperville North 17 14 10 22 -63
3-point baskets: WC: Driscoll 3, Jacques 3, Quarto, Peterson. NN: Beck, O'Shaughnessy.
Fouled out: WC: Griffith.