Naperville Central win streak hits 6

Naperville Central used an 18-0 run to keep its six-game winning streak alive.

Emma Donahue scored 12 points and Jill D'Amico added 11 as the Redhawks beat host Glenbard North 32-18 in DuPage Valley Conference action Saturday afternoon.

"Once we got a little bit of distance, we could relax," Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum said. "We didn't play quite so tight, and we were definitely a little more patient. The scoreboard says it was a 14-point game, but it was really a 2- or 4-point game up to a certain point."

"We really talked about finding our shot," Glenbard North coach John Chamberlain said. "It was very frustrating. They did a nice job on Brianna (Harn), and just a nice job defensively."

The Redhawks (16-8, 10-1) jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead on Donahue's layup, but Glenbard North answered with 2 buckets to take the lead 4-2. Naperville Central fought back, taking a 10-6 first quarter lead thanks to Donahue's 6 points.

Naperville Central went cold in the second quarter, withDonahue providing the only scoring with a hook shot, cutting a Panthers lead to 13-12. The Panthers used a 3-pointer from junior Amy Falson to take the lead and used the a 7-0 run to jump ahead. Turnovers and shots that refused to go down were the culprits of the Redhawks' scoring woes.

The Redhawks seized the lead in the third quarter, on the strength of 3-pointers. Trailing 18-14 with 4:30 left in the third, forward Jamie Cuny buried a 3-pointer, drawing the Redhawks within 1.

Senior guard Jill D'Amico answered at the 2:30 mark with a 3-pointer to vault Naperville Central ahead 20-18. The 3s and a stingy defense sparked the Redhawks the rest of the way.

"We made shots when needed to make them," Nussbaum said. "Jamie's basket may have been the most important basket of the game."

The Panthers struggled to score in the final 4:30 of the third quarter and their drought didn't let up in the fourth. Naperville Central responded, using another D'Amico 3 and a putback bucket by Donahue to take a 25-18 lead.

The Panthers (10-11, 5-5) were snakebitten the rest of the game, unable to score another basket after Harn's three-point play with 4:30 left in the third. No matter the look for the Panthers, the results were the same. Naperville Central cruised to the victory after holding the Panthers scoreless for almost 12 minutes.

"The noose gets kind of tight, and we talked to them about that telling them to just let it go, and let the results take care of itself. That didn't happen tonight," Chamberlain said.