West Aurora downs Naperville Central
Think of Friday night's West Aurora at Naperville Central boys basketball game as like one of those pro drag races shown on ESPN.
At the start both teams were at the starting line and when the light turned green, West Aurora sped down the race track at top speed while Naperville Central stayed at the starting line.
The Blackhawks (3-2) led 39-16 at halftime. However, Naperville Central got its motor running and made a game of it, forcing West Aurora to hold on for a 55-42.victory in the DuPage Valley Conference opener for both teams. Juwan Starks led the way for the victors with a game-high 28 points, including 19 in the first two quarters..
Naperville Central coach Pete Kramer was very pleased with how his team responded in the second half and was glad that momentum wouldn't have a chance to age as the team travels to Waubonsie Valley tonight.
After the opening 2:22 went scoreless, the Blackhawks went on a 10-0 run thanks to the help of what would be a 7-of-13 performance from the field in the opening quarter and the team led 19-6 at its conclusion.
"If we had played like that at Rock Island, we would have won the tournament," West Aurora coach Gordie Kerkman said of the first half. Kerkman can rack up career win No. 700 next Friday in the team's home opener against Naperville North.
It didn't get better for the Redhawks (3-2) in the second quarter, with the only bright spot being David Niggins' 8 points. He had been held scoreless in the first eight minutes. He went on to score 16 points in the second half for a team-high 24.
"It was a bit of a wake-up call. I challenged the kids at halftime. I thought for the most part they responded. We fought back and we had chances," Kramer said. "But you can't give a team a 23-point lead and expect to win."
While West Aurora looked unstoppable in the first half, it looked human to start the second half. The team was called for three fouls in the first 2:21 of the quarter, forcing Kerkman to call a timeout.
"I think we relaxed mentally a little bit. And we had 10 turnovers in the second half," Kerkman said. "And give (the Redhawks) credit, they picked up their intensity."
Naperville Central did what would have thought to have been impossible earlier by pulling to within 9 with 3:47 left in the quarter on a Niggins' free throw. West Aurora led 43-30 at the end of three quarters and kept in control the rest of the way, but the Redhawks had definitely gotten on equal footing with the Blackhawks in the second half.
"They were experienced. They played tough in that first half. They were knocking down shots from everywhere," Niggins said. "We couldn't get that momentum, that big shot we needed."
The only other player scoring in double digits on either team was Brandon Hayes for West Aurora with 12.