Redhawks finish perfect in DVC; Crawford sets mark
It was a sign of things to come for Naperville Central senior Drew Crawford when he started Wednesday's DuPage Valley Conference game with a steal and a breakaway two-handed dunk.
Nearly 11 minutes later Crawford added a one-handed jam to his repertoire, giving him 14 points for the game - a 59-49 victory against Wheaton North - and 1,466 on the Redhawks varsity, tying the school's all-time record.
But when an alley-oop planned to start the third quarter went awry, Crawford turned to a good old-fashioned finger roll to break Tim Szatko's mark.
"It's exciting," Crawford said. "It's been a goal of mine since before the season. I worked hard all season, but it's a tribute to my teammates because without them I wouldn't be able to do anything. I appreciate all they do for me, all they do for the team. Without them I wouldn't be able to do it, but it feels good to do it.
"I wasn't too nervous. I just wanted to go out and play my game like I do every night. I didn't really think about it. I knew I needed one basket, and then I started thinking about it just knowing that the next shot would put me over. It felt good when I did it."
Crawford finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists and 2 blocks.
"Another night for him," said Wheaton North coach Jim Nazos, who has seen Crawford on the varsity since the future Northwestern Wildcat's sophomore year. "He's a great player and he handles himself offensively so well. He knows when to assert himself and when not to. He can score in a lot of ways - 28 points is just another night for him."
The victory completed an undefeated run through the DVC for the Redhawks (24-2, 14-0), who begin regional play Tuesday at home.
"What an accomplishment for this group of kids, especially the seniors," Redhawks coach Pete Kramer said of Crawford, Danny Ondik, David Mallett, Andre Cephus and Joe Rickert, who won two straight league titles. "...It's a lot of pressure. We showed a lot of poise. It's a huge accomplishment for the program itself."
The record-breaking basket gave Naperville Central a 34-17 lead, but the rest of the third quarter belonged to the Falcons (7-18, 2-12). They cut the lead down to 5 points and hung with the Daily Herald's second-ranked team to the end.
"It was a crazy day," Kramer said. "It was a crazy hour before the game. It was senior night, and senior nights are just that way. We had a different lineup, so that meant (Nick) Linne and (Matt Neufeld) coming off the bench; they had started all year. It was just a different night. We turned the ball over tonight more than we had all year. We were just kind of out of it."
Sophomore Jeff Schalk led the Falcons with 14 points.
Naperville central 59, Wheaton north 49
Wheaton North - Bradley 4 0-0 10, Small 0 2-2 2, Dungee 1 0-0 2, Schalk 6 1-2 14, Fitzpatrick 3 0-0 7, Martin 1 3-4 5, Matosian 0 2-2 2, Finley 2 0-0 5, Graham 1 0-0 2, Agresti 0 0-0 0, Nelson 0 0-0 0 . Totals 18 8-10 49.
Naperville Central - Nowak 1 0-0 2, Ondik 0 2-3 2, Mallett 1 0-3 3, Rickert 1 0-0 2, Cephus 1 1-1 3, Crawford 12 3-3 28, Linne 2 0-0 4, Neufeld 4 0-0 8, Pomeroy 1 1-2 4, Brate 0 0-0 0, Czarnowski 1 0-0 3. Totals 24 7-12 59.
Wheaton North 10 7 20 12 -49
Naperville Central 14 18 10 17 -59
3-point baskets: WN: Bradley 2, Schalk, Fitzpatrick, Finley. NC: Mallett, Crawford, Pomeroy, Czarnowski. Fouled out: None.