Wheaton North takes close game from Glenbard North
On Sunday freshman Nikki Baird and her Wheaton North girls basketball teammates boarded the school van to watch older sister Chrissy play for the UCLA women's basketball team at the University of Michigan.
"I'm really close with (Chrissy). I talk to her almost every single day," Baird said.
"We're already a really close team, but to go on a trip like that, the long bus ride, to see some great basketball players, that was really fun to see what some of us are aspiring to do in college."
The young Falcons grew even closer and more confident Tuesday with their third straight victory by four points or fewer.
Baird's team-high 15 points and two fourth-quarter baskets helped the Falcons pull out a hard-earned 51-47 DuPage Valley Conference victory at Glenbard North.
Sophomore Hannah Swider and freshman Sarah Topps respectively both hit two free throws in 1-and-1 situations with 30.5 and 11.1 seconds left to keep the Falcons (4-6, 3-2) ahead by four points.
"The fact that we played together and that we played good defense (was important)," Baird said. "The fact that we're so young and already piecing it together, it's just really great."
Swider, who had 13 points and 8 rebounds, Baird and senior Emmy Gryna each had two 3s. Topps added 9 points.
Senior Jennifer Deegan had her best game this season for Glenbard North (6-4, 1-3) with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Point guard Zakiya Newsome had 8 points all on free throws.
"We had the lead and we just didn't make winning plays, a couple of costly turnovers, we're not poised," Glenbard North coach John Chamberlain said. "The winning teams know their role. They execute down the stretch. We did not. We missed a ton of layups (also)."
The Panthers pulled ahead 41-39 with 6:11 left on a 3-pointer by Lauren Lee, their only 3-pointer of the game. But then they went scoreless the next 4:40 as the Falcons moved ahead 47-41.
"I thought down the stretch we did enough to win," Wheaton North coach Dave Eaton said. "A young team found a way to win. Glenbard North is young, too, but we had a freshman and sophomore step up and hit free throws down the stretch. I'm proud of them."
After Falcons sophomore Matti Zander tied the game 41-41, Baird scored the next two baskets. Baird converted a three-point play off an inbounds pass under the basket by Gryna and then scored on a driving layup after a steal and lead pass from Zander.
"Credit Zander on that one," Baird said. "Me and Emmy have been waiting for that (inbounds) play to work all year and we were happy that it finally worked in clutch time. It was a great pass."
Gryna is the Falcons' lone senior starter. Coming off a 21-point game Saturday, Gryna only took one shot against a box-and-one defense with Newsome chasing that followed Gryna's second 3 in the second quarter.
Zander provided a huge lift after completely missing the previous four games with a knee injury. She had 4 of the team's 9 offensive rebounds and caused the jump ball that led to Gryna's inbounds pass.
"(Zander is) arguably one of our best defenders and just plays so ridiculously hard," Eaton said.
Glenbard North led 10-7 but the Falcons scored 10 points in the final two minutes of the first quarter to pull in front 17-12. They increased the lead to 11 before the Panthers scored the last five points of the first half to close to 30-27.
Deegan, the Panthers' lone senior, scored all 9 of their points in the third quarter, which ended with the Falcons ahead 39-36.
"We're trying to feature her and she was awesome tonight so we're going to keep doing more of that," Chamberlain said.