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Naperville Central reverses Naperville North's momentum

You couldn't ask for more momentum than Naperville North's boys basketball team had at halftime on Friday.

Naperville Central couldn't care less.

The visiting Redhawks - despite some shaky free-throw shooting down the stretch - played with immense poise the second half to beat Naperville North 44-40 in a rugged DuPage Valley Conference showdown.

"When they came into our place it was devastating when they beat us," said Redhawks junior Matt Meier, referring to his team's 52-46 loss to the Huskies on Dec. 12. "Coming into here, there's no feeling like it. It's the best part about playing basketball. Just getting a win that we really needed."

Naperville Central (14-10, 4-3) trailed 19-15 at the half when Huskies guard Cam Hardy fed 6-foot-6 teammate Deon Merrill for a monstrous alley-oop dunk in the waning seconds. The home crowd exploded as the Huskies (11-10, 4-3) seemed to have everything in their favor heading to the break.

The Redhawks, however, let nothing faze them. They opened the third quarter with an 8-1 run capped by a three-point play from Nate Dahl and a 3-pointer by Meier to put them back ahead 23-20.

While it didn't give them the lead for good, the Redhawks negated the Huskies' momentum. Trailing 30-29 early in the fourth quarter, Naperville Central used a 9-1 run to take the lead for good.

"The way they came out in the third quarter, they kind of took the intensity back from us," said Huskies coach Jeff Powers, whose team played without sophomore starter Mitch Lewis for the first of a four-game suspension for what Powers termed a team policy violation. "Credit their defense. When they hit a shot, we didn't hit a shot to counter."

Naperville Central made 8 straight free throws at one point in the fourth quarter but then went cold. The Redhawks made only 2 of 10 attempts in the final minute, but it was just enough to hold off the Huskies, who couldn't cap a last-minute rally despite a 3-pointer by Zachary Tuxhorn and a three-point play by Chris Gajcak.

Meier scored a game-high 17 points while Harrison Hallstrom added 11 points. Hardy and Griffin led the Huskies with 11 points apiece.

"The kids just wanted it," said Redhawks coach Pete Kramer. "They wanted it, and you could tell. It was a great win. I'm just so proud of them."

Follow Kevin on Twitter @kevin_schmit

Images: Naperville North vs. Naperville Central, boys basketball

  Deon Merrill of Naperville North looks to pass over Matthew Meier of Naperville Central during the Naperville Central at Naperville North boys basketball game Friday. Paul Michna/pmichna@dailyherald.com
  Deon Merrill of Naperville North takes a shot during the Naperville Central at Naperville North boys basketball game Friday. Paul Michna/pmichna@dailyherald.com
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