Naperville North rolls past Timothy Christian
Timothy Christian was leveled by a runaway Mack truck in the form of the Naperville North boys basketball team Saturday night in Elmhurst.
At the 32-team Jack Tosh Holiday Classic, Naperville North used an unanswered 20-point blitz bridging the first two quarters.
Trebling the Trojans' score entering the break, Naperville North cruised to a 59-21 victory at York.
“We had a most unusual situation,” Naperville North coach Jeff Powers said. “We didn't have a game for 13 days, so our kids really had these last 13 days to put in the effort and energy. They were dying to get on the floor.”
Jelani McClain had his fingerprints all over the Huskies' extended burst that concluded with the team holding a 34-7 cushion with less than a minute to play before halftime.
The four-year starting guard was ubiquitous during the run, authoring putbacks, steals and assists.
“Coach always tells us that we are too nice, so make sure not to come out nice during the holiday season,” McClain said.
McClain said a defensive breakdown in the first quarter altered his outlook.
“The second quarter I knew I had to perform better,” McClain said.
“(McClain) wants to go out with a bang,” Powers said. “He does a lot of things that people don't notice. He is our true leader. He got everybody involved. He is a player.”
McClain, Mitch Lewis, Tyler Carlson, Chris Johnson and Winston Elston all scored for the Huskies during their dominant run.
Naperville North (6-2) led 36-12 at halftime after Timothy Christian junior forward Joey Davidson finally broke through to end the Trojans' drought.
Timothy Christian never reached double figures in any of the quarters.
The team endured a nightmarish shooting night, missing 16 of its 17 3-point attempts.
Naperville North caused Timothy Christian to misfire on 34 of its 40 total shots.
“It didn't pan out like we wanted it to,” Davidson said. “We were getting OK looks, just not hitting.”
Davidson accounted for two-thirds of the Trojans' output with his game-high 14-point total.
Powers had the luxury to substitute liberally throughout the second half.
Twelve players in all ultimately scored for Naperville North.
Elston led the way with 11 points.
McClain added 8 points.
Lewis came off the bench to score 9 points in his season debut.
The 6-foot-6 post has been limited the entire school year while mending a broken foot.
“I only got to play two football games and I'm here (for basketball) now,” Lewis said. “My foot feels fine. I need to back into physical shape.”