Naperville Central 65, Wheaton North 55
Naperville Central and Wheaton North will share the title -- and the history.
Overcoming the odds in Wednesday's boys basketball showdown, the Redhawks snared their piece of the DuPage Valley Conference crown by beating host Wheaton North 65-55 in the league finale.
The Falcons (20-5, 11-3) already had clinched at least a share of the title with Saturday's triple-overtime win at West Aurora. To earn its place as a co-champion, Naperville Central (19-7, 11-3), a game behind Wheaton North coming into Wednesday, had to win its biggest game of the season on the road.
The Redhawks got it done.
Using an 11-0 run to claim a 29-24 halftime lead, Naperville Central stayed ahead the entire second half to keep the home crowd in the packed gymnasium relatively quiet. The Redhawks maintained at least a 6-point margin the entire fourth quarter.
"It's one thing to win it at home, but to win on the road is tougher," said Redhawks junior Drew Crawford, who had 21 points and 8 rebounds. "This is something we haven't done in a long time, so it feels great."
After a roller-coaster conference season for both teams, they'll each get to bask in the glow of the crown. Naperville Central claims its first DVC title since 1994, while the Falcons earn their first since 1986.
"They did a very good job offensively, and we had a hard time stopping them all night," said Falcons coach Jim Nazos, whose team had its seven-game winning streak snapped. "When we've got to win a game 70-65, there's problems."
Naperville Central's balance proved pivotal. Crawford led with his 21 points, but Matt Jones added 14 and Matt Neufeld pitched in with 12 points. In the face of some fierce ball pressure, Danny Ondik helped keep the offense running.
"It feels good, especially with the rivalry against Wheaton North," Jones said. "It's always tough coming over here to play."
Wheaton North surged in the first half behind Kristian Rosenberger, who finished with three 3-pointers and 18 points. The Falcons opened a 24-18 second-quarter advantage before the Redhawks rallied to their 5-point halftime lead.
The Falcons struggled from the field most of the night, and especially in the second half while hitting only 8 of 26 shots. Six-foot-seven John Bagge scored a game-high 23 points, including 11-of-13 free-throw shooting, before fouling out in the waning minutes of the game.
"I couldn't be prouder," said Naperville Central coach Pete Kramer, whose team beat Wheaton North in both DVC games. "It took a great effort, and it wasn't just one guy. Everybody that played contributed in some kind of way."
Now comes the potentially interesting part.
As the fourth and fifth seeds in the Class 4A East Aurora sectional, these teams could meet for a third time in next Friday's Naperville North regional final.
If the DVC season was any indication, it'd be a doozy.