Glenbard North shows potential against Wheaton North

The Glenbard North boys basketball team has big hopes for this season’s DuPage Valley Conference race and they did what they needed to do Friday night at Wheaton North to keep those hopes healthy.

They faced a competitive Falcons team that is capable of making an opponent’s life tough. The Panthers grabbed control of the game from the start and didn’t let go en route to a 61-33 victory.

The win pushed Glenbard North to 8-5 overall and 5-1 in the DVC. Coach Joe Larson said his team is progressing

“They’ve figured some things out. There’s a sense of urgency,” he said. “They are getting more out of the potential they have.”

The Panthers’ defense played the biggest factor in this contest. The Falcons (4-11, 1-5) shot a respectable 3 of 7 from the field in the first five minutes of the game but hadn’t been able to generate enough shots and that continued throughout the game. The Glenbard North defense played a role in Wheaton North committing 7 turnovers in the first quarter and 13 in the first half, and this was crucial in the Panthers leading 20-8 after the first eight minutes and 29-11 at halftime.

“We have a lot of long guys, great athletes,” said senior Josh Fleming, who scored 9 points for Glenbard North. “Guys like Justin Jackson, Chavares Flanigan, Ryan Krueger, they deflect everything. We make the plays on defense and pick up our intensity in practice.”

Flanigan led Glenbard North in scoring with 11, Krueger had 10. The Panthers had 10 players score.

Fleming said the team is showing its depth on offense as well.

“Other players are stepping up and making the plays. We need to stay focused and we can’t get too full of ourselves,” he said.

Glenbard North led 45-20 after three quarters.

“We knew Wheaton North was a tough team and we had to make our shots. We want to win conference, and this a game we had to have,” Larson said.

Sophomore Matt Biegalski led the Falcons with a game-high 13 points.

Both teams are right back in action today at the M&M Classic at Downers Grove North. The Panthers take on Downers Grove South at 3:30 p.m., followed by the Falcons against the host Trojans at 5.