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Hinsdale Central defeats Downers Grove North for fourth straight victory

Downers Grove North wasn't going to give it to Hinsdale Central, so the Red Devils decided to take it.

Sparked by a mini-run at the end of the first half, the Red Devils rallied for Wednesday's 47-40 West Suburban Silver boys basketball victory over visiting Downers North.

While a dominant third quarter pushed Hinsdale Central (9-8, 3-2) ahead to stay, it was actually the end of the first half that proved decisive. The Trojans (10-11, 3-3) nursed the clock while holding a 19-12 lead, but the Red Devils' Lucas Schiavitti forced a turnover that led to a Ryan Isaacson three-point play.

Isaacson had a personal 6-0 run to close the half, including a bucket at the buzzer to pull Hinsdale Central within 19-18 at the break. The momentum continued with a 10-3 third-quarter burst.

"It seemed like 20 minutes that they had the ball, but Lucas Schiavitti gave pressure and was able to get a steal out of it," Isaacson said. "That was huge. It helped propel us into the second half. Once we capitalized on those points, we were hyped in the locker room."

Wednesday's win was the fourth straight for the Red Devils. The defense was especially impressive against the Trojans, who were unable to score consecutive baskets in the final three quarters and were held scoreless for the final six minutes of the third quarter.

"It started at the end of the first half," said Downers North coach Jim Thomas. "If you close the half strong you've got something good going into the third quarter. It comes down to little things that we need to clean up."

Balance came in handy for the Red Devils, who went 10 deep. Charlie Sessa came off the bench and scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half. Isaacson led Hinsdale Central with 17 points.

Eli Carter knocked down four 3-pointers and scored 14 points for Downers North. Jack Mielke added three 3-pointers and 13 points.

"Our defense was pretty solid," said Red Devils coach Nick Latorre. "To their credit they kept coming back but our defense held when they needed to."

Twitter: @kevin_schmit

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