Girls basketball: Naperville Central hands Waubonsie Valley 1st loss, takes DVC lead behind big games from Kritzer, Jones
It’s not easy to overlook the 6-foot-4 Annabelle Kritzer on the basketball court, yet most eyes were on two of the top players in the state Thursday night as Naperville Central hosted unbeaten Waubonsie Valley.
Those two outstanding scorers — the Redhawks’ Trinity Jones and the Warriors’ Danyella Mporokoso — did not disappoint while lighting up the scoreboard. But it was Kritzer’s big game that had a big impact as the Redhawks knocked off Waubonsie Valley 75-60 to take sole possession of first place in the DuPage Valley Conference.
Jones knocked down four 3-pointers while tallying 21 points in the first half, while Mporokoso scored 17 of her 23 points through two quarters. But while those two stars duked it out, Kritzer owned the boards, scored inside, dished off assists, and even dropped in a 3-pointer that put the home team up 38-20 in the second quarter.
Naperville Central (17-3, 5-0) had a surprising 47-21 lead at the half and was never really threatened in the second half. Kritzer was a key figure in the impressive win, finishing with 20 points and 18 rebounds.
“This game was an exciting game that we were looking forward to all week,” said Kritzer, a junior center. “I think we just came out strong … my teammates gave me the ball, and I’m super excited about this win.”
Jones actually equaled the Warrior team’s 21-point total in the first half, but the Rehawks had big nights from Kritzer and Erin Hackett, who each scored 12 points through two quarters.
“I think it was a great team performance overall,” Kritzer added. “Trinity did great but everyone else stepped up, which was great for us. The stands were full and it was loud with people cheering for both sides. It was a great experience and I’m glad I got to be a part of it.”
Redhawks coach Andy Nussbaum also was glad to be a part of Thursday’s contest.
“That was probably Annabelle’s best offensive performance of her career,” he said. “We present a problem for them because we’ve got two tall players out there and they’ve only got one. And of course they have got to give Trinity attention. I was super happy with how Annabelle played. I thought both Trinity and Erin found her when she was open. She just played really well. That’s a ton of boards.”
As for Jones, who will play for Clemson next year, the Naperville Central coach made it clear what he thinks about her game.
“She is the best player in the state, period. After this performance … and you saw her at Minooka, and against Maine South,” he said. “What’s really great is that our players play to her. I thought we played as good a team basketball as we’ve played all year. But you know what, we’re going to see them again.”
These two powers will square off once more in conference play and most likely again in the loaded East Aurora sectional. Jones expects her team to continue to work to prepare for what may be awaiting them in the postseason.
“We went out there and we were strong. We knew if we wanted to win this game we needed to start off from the jump. We’re gonna play them a couple more times. It was a good win but we’ve got more work to do,” Jones said.
For the Warriors (18-1, 4-1), Elliana Morris scored 12 points on four 3-pointers, and Maya Pereda and Arianna Garcia-Evans each added 8, but the team just couldn’t overcome the strong start by the Redhawks.
“I thought we played timid,” Warriors coach Brett Love said. “Not to take anything away from Naperville Central. They’re a real good team and they made adjustments and good reads. I thought we were frozen at times and I thought we forced a lot of stuff at times when we didn’t have to.
“It’s unfortunate but this is a lesson you have to learn. We want to learn from it and build from it. We’ll see them again toward the end of the season and maybe again in sectionals.”