Wheaton North turns the tables on Wheaton Warrenville South
When two basketball teams are scheduled to face each other twice during the season and there's a long gap of time between contests, sometimes things change.
The host Wheaton North boys squad was an example of that by doing fundamentals better on Friday night than during Dec. 15's 53-38 loss to Wheaton Warrenville South.
The Falcons (14-10, 6-5 DuKane Conference) left their home court a 45-39 victor over the Tigers (13-13, 5-6).
"We've just improved a lot as a team over the course of the season," said Wheaton North senior Jack Speers, who led all scorers with 18 points. "We've been running a new defense this season and it took time to adjust."
Speers started a short, but crucial scoring spurt right at the end of the third quarter and which carried on into the final period.
His 2-pointer ended the third quarter with the Falcons trailing just 31-30. He then continued on in the final period with his 10 unanswered points, including two 3-point baskets and a 2-point basket.
"I told (the team) to be more aggressive on offense. They tend to be timid against them," said Wheaton North coach Dave Brackmann. "I told them to be aggressive and be aggressive inside."
A free throw by the Falcons' Caleb Schauer gave Wheaton North its first double-digit advantage of the game at 44-33. Schauer finished second on the Wheaton North scoresheet with 10. Hudson Parker had 9.
Wheaton North is heading back to the court Saturday at Hinsdale South.
"We had our heart broken against Batavia (a 54-51 loss Tuesday). We played well tonight and we're going to back that up against Hinsdale South," Brackmann said.
WW South trailed Wheaton North 13-12 after the first eight minutes and 24-18 at halftime and led by as much as 6 early in the third.
Joe Preede and Luca Carbonaro led WW South offensively with 9 points each and Brady Goken had 8.
"They doubled us a lot more than in December and that resulted in a lot of turnovers," said Tigers coach Mike Healy.
The coming week will be a big one for WW South with games against Mt. Carmel and Peoria Manual along with DuKane foes Lake Park and Batavia.
"We'll get past this. We have great kids. They will bounce back," Healy said.