Naperville Central avoids drama this time
Naperville Central’s boys basketball team felt like it let one slip away at the end of last Friday’s game.
Tuesday against Hinsdale Central, the Redhawks made the end a non-factor.
Naperville Central broke out to a quick double-digit lead and rolled to a 74-53 nonconference win over the visiting Red Devils.
After last week’s 43-42 last-second loss to Glenbard North, the Redhawks (9-10) came out aggressive on both ends of the court and stormed to an early lead against Hinsdale Central.
An 8-2 second-quarter run boosted the lead to double digits, which is where it stayed. A 13-0 third-quarter burst, featuring a 3-pointer by Bryce Kirk and a three-point play by David Niggins, extended the margin to 46-26.
“That was huge, we had to come back and get this win,” said Niggins, who led all scorers with 24 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. “Everybody played hard. Nobody stopped. First quarter to fourth quarter, that’s how everyone played.”
Hinsdale Central (4-12) never seemed to find a rhythm, especially for the bulk of the middle quarters. Whether it was foul trouble or poor shooting — 8 of 28 from the field in the second and third quarter — there were many reasons why the margin steadily grew.
The Red Devils’ 4-of-11 free-throw shooting through three quarters also didn’t help.
“We were sluggish right from the get-go,” said Red Devils coach Nick Latorre. “Our offense wasn’t crisp and they were more aggressive. They got to every loose ball, we were outrebounded. I never felt like we were ever back in it. Give them credit. They played well.”
Free throws dominated the fourth quarter for both teams. Mike Schremp was 8 of 8 in the period while he and Niggins combined for 19-of-20 shooting for the game.
Naperville Central shot an impressive 26 of 32 from the line while Hinsdale Central struggled to 16-of-27 shooting at the line.
Hinsdale Central’s Tom Garvin scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half. Tom Kladis nailed three 3-pointers and added 11 points.
Schremp scored 14 points, Kirk had 11 and Nick Czarnowski scored 10 points despite foul trouble.
“We’re at a point where the pressure’s off,” said Redhawks coach Pete Kramer. “If we just play hard, good things are going to happen.”