Girls basketball: Naperville Central knocks out Naperville North

A palpable energy enveloped the court Thursday night at Naperville North.

With the Class 4A girls basketball regional championship on the line and a raucous Husky crowd rocking after freshman Lila Zitko buried a left-wing 3-pointer to bring North within eight, Naperville Central’s Erin Hackett pushed the ball up the floor.

Slicing to the rim, Hackett appeared intent on finding a bucket of her own. Instead, the senior facilitator dished to a slicing Annabelle Kritzer, who finished the easy two.

On the ensuing Huskies possession, Hackett swiped a loose ball, coasted to the hoop, and converted the layup, much to the dismay of the deflated home faithful.

The bucket from Hackett helped ice a 52-41 victory for the Redhawks (25-6), who roared ecstatically as they hoisted the plaque donning them regional champs.

“We kind of set the tone,” said Hackett, who finished with 15 points. “We came into the game saying we should win … The biggest thing was our energy, we had to keep it throughout the whole game. But I think overall we came out and showed what we were made of.”

First-quarter triples from North (20-11) juniors Zoey Bishop and Mia Podkasik, who splashed a pair in the opening frame, helped the Huskies take a 15-14 advantage into the second quarter.

However, Clemson-bound Trinity Jones proved too much for the Huskies defense to handle. Jones, who tallied 5 first-quarter points, exploded for 10 in the succeeding eight minutes. She finished with a game-high 19.

Alongside Jones, Central’s defense caught fire, stifling North for just 8 second-quarter points.

“We knew it’d be a tough game,” said Central coach Andy Nussbaum. “They played us tough here the last time. It’s not easy to play on the road … I’m really proud of the way we played.”

North battled valiantly in the second half, narrowing the deficit to single digits on multiple occasions.

Junior shooting guard Ava Podkasik paced the team with 7 points, while her sister Mia, Sydney Smith, and Zitko added 6 of their own.

“Our goal was to get to 20 wins, and we did that the other night,” said North coach Alyssa Miller. “I couldn’t be more proud of this group and our efforts all season long.”

As a strong season comes to an end for North, the Redhawks await Waubonsie Valley for a third game this season with the Warriors.

“We’re on a good roll right now,” Hackett said. “We’re facing tougher competition right now. … It’s going to be tough, they’re a great team. It’s just going to be a great fight.”