Naperville Central still alone atop DVC
Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum was so impressed with Wheaton North on Saturday, it made him even more happy when he thought of his own girls basketball team.
The Falcons did all they could against the Redhawks before Naperville Central won 57-49 on senior day at Wheaton North.
"That was a great game, and I thought our kids played really well against a team that gave us everything they could possibly give us," Nussbaum said. "I thought Wheaton North played fantastic, which shows you how proud I am of the way we played."
The victory keeps the Redhawks (21-7, 12-2) half a game in front of Neuqua Valley (12-3) for first place in the DuPage Valley Conference standings. The Redhawks play twice next week, the final week of the regular season, Neuqua Valley just once.
"It's a pretty phenomenal race we have here," said Nussbaum, whose team has won eight straight games and 9 of 10 in 2016, all in the DVC.
Energized by senior day festivities, the Falcons (10-15, 6-9) got off to a 12-4 lead in the first quarter. A 23-point second quarter helped Naperville Central take an 8-point lead of its own at halftime.
"We knew coming here that they were going to come out strong, especially because it was their senior night," Naperville Central junior Erin Moran said. "... We just kept going. Our shots weren't falling, but we just kept going and it worked out in the end for us."
Still, the Falcons fought back into the game, tying it at 35 with 2:41 to play in third quarter on senior Emmy Gryna's 3-pointer. The Redhawks led 38-37 going to the fourth, when they made 9 of 12 free throws to pull away again in the final minutes.
"We're playing some really good teams, and we're playing them right down to the wire," Falcons coach Dave Eaton said. "This is about playoff time too, and it's about getting better. We're playing pretty good basketball. We've just got to find a way to get a win and build a little confidence."
Mia Lakstigala led Naperville Central with 20 points, scoring 9 in the fourth quarter.
"Naperville Central played a heck of a game and did a lot of things to win that game," Eaton said. "They earned it. They had kids hit huge shots. They're obviously a really good team."
Moran came off the bench to score 12, her best for the Redhawks' varsity.
"I knew I wanted to get double digits, and I guess it was my day," said Moran, who made 4 of her 5 field-goal attempts.
"I thought Erin Moran played great," Nussbaum said. "She just has a way of finding open spots."
Freshman Nikki Baird led the Falcons with 16 points, and senior Emmy Gryna made four 3-pointers to finish with 13.
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