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Naperville Central building some momentum

This hasn't exactly been the kind of boys basketball season Naperville Central envisioned back in November. But the Redhawks are finding that it's never too late to start fresh and finish strong.

"The whole week of practice coach was emphasizing that the seniors need to step up," Naperville Central's Noah Swope said Friday. "The season is winding down. It's our time. It might be a little late, but we're having fun with it. Our confidence is definitely building."

Swope went 6 of 7 from the free-throw line and scored 8 of his team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter, and fellow senior Pedro Villanova scored 10 of his 15 points in the final 4:14. Naperville Central won for the second time in three games by defeating visiting Neuqua Valley 63-54.

"The kids are still battling, staying positive, still hungry," Naperville Central coach Pete Kramer said. "We talked about that when we play together as a team instead of trying to do our own thing, we're a much better team."

Naperville Central (7-13, 2-8 DuPage Valley Conference) - which inducted another class into its athletic hall of fame at the game - grabbed an early 21-11 lead by attacking the basket and forcing Neuqua Valley to foul.

"I don't know if it was them or us," Neuqua Valley coach Todd Sutton said. "They got into the lane and we helped, but our help fouled every time because we weren't keeping our man in front of us. We got in foul trouble because people weren't guarding the ball."

The Wildcats closed off the lane midway through the second quarter and closed the half on an 11-0 run to take a 22-21 lead at halftime. Blaise Meredith sparked the run with a three-point play and a 3-pointer from beyond the key.

Meredith finished with 25 points for Neuqua Valley (10-12, 3-7).

"He's been doing that all year long," Sutton said. "We're just not giving him much help and he struggles with that. He lives and dies with every play. He gives his heart, his passion into every play. The people around him just have to make a play and give him a little help."

Naperville Central broke a 31-31 tie late in the third quarter with a 10-2 run capped by Nick Kramer's pullup 15-footer, but Meredith rallied Neuqua Valley with three of his five 3-pointers to get the Wildcats within 57-54 with 24.1 seconds remaining.

However, Naperville Central closed the game on a 6-0 run highlighted by Swope's three-point play with 12.8 seconds remaining following a steal by Patrick Meier.

"We made better decisions tonight … Patrick (Meier), Nick (Kramer), Peter (Villanova), everybody," Swope said. "We made better decisions. That's what got us there. We were patient and it paid off."

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