Wheaton North 62, Naperville Central 60

How rare is a Wheaton North girls basketball win at Naperville Central?

Well, the last time one happened, Candace Parker was in fifth grade.

But history finally repeated itself in Wheaton North's favor Friday night.

The Falcons fended off host Naperville Central down the stretch to beat the Redhawks 62-60 in a showdown for first place in the DuPage Valley Conference.

Wheaton North had last won at Naperville Central on Dec. 19, 1996.

As big as this victory was for the Falcons (8-2, 4-0), they played it cool.

Until they got to the locker room.

"Oh, we were going crazy in the locker room," said Wheaton North senior forward Michelle Scandora, who led a team effort with game-highs of 19 points and 9 rebounds to go with 4 assists.

Scandora was one of four Wheaton North players to score in double figures. Madison Goudy had 13 points, Allie Cerone 12 and Jamei Shin 11.

Naperville Central (10-3, 3-1) found itself up 28-24 after a see-saw first half, but Wheaton North tilted the game to its side in the third quarter where it made four 3-pointers while turning up its defensive pressure.

The Falcons extended their defense to the backcourt and harassed Naperville Central into 11 of its 29 turnovers in the third quarter.

"I think the game comes down to our inability, particularly in the third quarter, to break their press," Redhawks coach Andy Nussbaum said. "We just didn't do a very good job."

Wheaton North took a 45-43 edge into the fourth quarter and protected its lead the rest of the way to record its seventh victory in a row.

"It's a big win for the girls," Falcons coach David Eaton said. "I thought the kids played well and stayed composed."

Eaton's club received a scare in the final 5.9 seconds after receiving a technical foul for having six players on the court following a substitution.

Naperville Central's Emma Ondik hit both technical free throws to bring the Redhawks within 62-60, but center Lisa Lawrence's 16-footer at the buzzer missed.

"We made that one interesting, huh?" Eaton said. "My goodness."

Kelley Hendrick led the Redhawks in scoring with 17 points, but fouled out with 5:13 remaining. Jessica Carter added 12 points and Ondik 10.