Naperville Central can’t slow hot-shooting DeKalb
DeKalb coach Mike Reynolds said by the time the postseason rolls around, it doesn’t matter who a team plays — defense and rebounding always hold up.
The Barbs showcased both Friday in a 62-30 win against Naperville Central in a DuPage Valley Conference showdown.
“We just capitalized on what we did well the first time we played them,” said junior forward Davon Grant of the Barbs’ second win against the Redhawks this season after a 55-25 win Jan. 5. “Mainly running the floor, getting to our spots, moving the ball, punching gaps, getting into the paint and it led to a whole bunch of open shots on the perimeter.”
And open they were.
The Barbs (20-7, 5-4) were 11 for 19 from long range, and in the first quarter they hit five straight 3-pointers, all set up on a turnover or fast-break rebound. They were down 3-1 when a 3-pointer by Sean Reynolds off a Jackson Kees steal gave them the lead back with 5:22 left.
That kicked off a 30-2 run to put the game away.
The IHSA revealed the playoff pairings earlier Friday, with DeKalb earning a No. 2 seed in its home 4A regional, opening against Jefferson on Feb. 21 and potentially facing Auburn or Hampshire in the title game.
“Defense and rebounding, that travels in the regional no matter who we are playing,” Mike Reynolds said. “We know we have a tough regional ... so we have to be ready to roll. And defensively has got to be who we are. I think that’s what separates us sometimes from other teams is our aggressive play and defensive mindset and we need to get that back all the time.”
In addition to scoring 12 points, Grant had nine rebounds and four steals to lead the defensive charge. DeKalb forced 19 turnovers by the Redhawks (9-21, 0-9 DVC) which led to 26 points.
Unique Shaw also scored 12, including a pair of 3s, to lead the Barbs’ scoring attack. Brayson Barnhardt and Sean Reynolds each scored nine points on a combined 6-of-7 shooting from 3-point range.
“We just struggled to score and they were red-hot from the perimeter,” Naperville Central coach Pete Kramer said. “For a while there we were doing a good job finding their shooters but then we just lost it.”
The Redhawks were without 6-2 forward Ross DeZur with a low ankle sprain. Kramer said he expects the team’s second-leading scorer back next week. His absence threw the team off a little bit, Kramer said, but added DeKalb is the type of team the Redhawks just don’t match up well against.
“No excuse. They just took it to us,” Kramer said. “Their athleticism, we just couldn’t handle it tonight. Tried changing to some zones. It would work a couple times, but then they just have too much firepower on the perimeter.”
The Barbs have a tough stretch of games coming up with high-scoring Rochelle coming to DeKalb on Saturday, a showdown with a tough Kaneland team on Monday and the final conference game against Neuqua Valley on Wednesday.
“Hopefully, this is a preview of things to come,” Mike Reynolds said. “We’ve shot the ball extremely well since Christmas. When we share the ball like we did tonight, I think at the beginning of the second half we had four, five assists by different guys. We hit some shots and extended that lead.”