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Hinsdale Central knocks off Naperville Central

Boys basketball teams often can’t spare the time for a 24-hour rule after games, so Hinsdale Central requires a mere 12 from its players.

That attitude made a big difference in Saturday’s 67-54 home win over Naperville Central.

A day after a huge West Suburban Silver victory at state-ranked Oak Park, the Red Devils showed no signs of a letdown against a talented Naperville Central (5-2) squad that rolled past Glenbard East on Friday.

Even with two key players — Ian Bunting and Grant Lillard — out of town, Hinsdale Central (6-2) utilized its deep and balanced lineup to perfection.

“It was two tough teams, we had a hard week of practice, and I think coach (Nick) Latorre trained us well for these teams,” said Red Devils guard Chase Hamilton, who knocked down 15 of 16 free throws while scoring a game-high 22 points. “It was two different styles of play and coach Latorre really helped us out. We practiced hard, and I think that really helped this weekend.”

Naperville Central came out strong and led 12-11 at the end of the first quarter on a late putback by Patrick Maloney, who grabbed 10 rebounds. The Red Devils, however, took the lead for good after Matt Rafferty converted a three-point play and Thomas Ives knocked down a pair of free throws to start the second quarter.

Naperville Central couldn’t find any offensive rhythm, not with third-year starting guard Ryan Antony sitting much of the first half with foul trouble. Antony played a strong second half while finishing with 11 points, but the Redhawks struggled to close the distance.

An 8-0 run to start the second half gave Hinsdale Central its first double-digit lead at 32-18.

“In the second half they made us do some things we didn’t want to do,” said Naperville Central coach Pete Kramer. “It really came down to our inability to score at times. We just struggled to score. I didn’t think we played real well as a team together. I thought we were a bunch of individuals at times out there.”

The Redhawks sliced a 16-point deficit to 8 in the fourth quarter, but Hinsdale Central reasserted itself with a 10-0 run. Nick Czarnowski led Naperville Central with 14 points.

“Really good program win, team win,” Latorre said. “It’s a tribute to how hard all of our kids work.”

Follow Kevin on Twitter @kevin_schmit

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