Naperville North makes it five straight with win vs. Metea Valley
The fun that started at the end of 2021 is carrying into 2022 for the Naperville North boys basketball team.
The Huskies' winning streak extended to five games with a 64-38 home victory Friday night over Metea Valley.
"Metea is a real good team. We are fortunate to have beaten them," said Naperville North coach Gene Nolan. "They have good shooters that are tough to cover defensively."
The Huskies (8-7, 2-2 DuPage Valley Conference) grabbed the game from the start, leading 23-7 after the opening quarter and 40-14 at halftime.
Zeke Williams scored 16 of his game-high 23 points in the first half. Luke Williams scored 11 of his 20 points during the first two quarters and Bryce Welch scored 8 of his 10 points during the opening quarter.
"We applied pressure to their guards and stayed aggressive," Welch said. "We came out prepared, getting out to a fast start is what it's about."
After attempting 12 shots in the first quarter, Metea was reduced to 6 in the following period.
"We were getting our offense from our defense and pushing the transition," Luke Williams said. "We need to keep up the energy in practice. Coach says you play how you practice."
The best portion of the game for the Mustangs (6-9, 0-4) was the third period. Metea outscored Naperville North 14-11 by scoring the first 5 points of the quarter. The team cut the Huskies' advantage to 18 twice.
Chandrahaas Duggirala scored 6 points during the quarter and led his team with 10 points. Charlie Nosek made good on 5 points during that span and finished the game with 7.
"We have a lot to improve upon, but we've gotten better," Nolan said. "We have a great group of kids and great senior leadership."
Naperville North will be right back at it Saturday with a trip to Chicago to take on Marist.
"They're a great team. They have shooters. Their guys play offense off the dribble and they have a really good defense," Nolan said.
Metea is also in action Saturday, heading to Hoffman Estates to take on Conant.