West Aurora withstands Naperville North rally

West Aurora used an unusual formula to capture its season opener Saturday morning at Waubonsie Valley.

Riley Mont and Olivia Vanderwoude were the only players to score from the field for the Blackhawks girls basketball team after halftime against Naperville North in first-day play of the Warhawk Thanksgiving Tournament.

But the players' complementary inside-outside play was combined with free-throw efficiency to give the Blackhawks a 48-45 victory over the Huskies in Aurora.

Mont had a game-high 21 points with a three-pronged personal attack: three 3-pointers, a pair of slashing drives with offhand finishes and 8 free throws.

Vanderwoude had 7 field goals in the paint to flavor her 19-point effort.

"We try to spread (our scoring) out, but we gotta get what we can get," Vanderwoude said.

Naperville North (0-1) matched its first-half output in the third-quarter alone to slice into the Blackhawks' nearly game-long lead.

The Huskies twice forged ties on consecutive possessions late in the game on a Layla Henderson 3-pointer and Peyton Fenner pullup jumper in the lane.

Mont enabled West Aurora (1-0) to escape with 3 free throws in the final minute.

Naperville North missed a pair at the free-throw line after Mont gave the Blackhawks a 47-45 lead.

"I knew they were in foul trouble," said Mont, the sophomore guard who etched a new career high. "I knew I had to take it at them."

Fenner said the Huskies' last-ditch bid was to score "a quick two," and then foul.

But the strategy was sabotaged when the Huskies misfired on their final 2-point attempt.

Fenner scored all 8 of her points after halftime as Naperville North overcame a 9-point second-half deficit.

"I'm a freshman," Fenner said. "It was nerve-wracking coming into my first high school game."

Jalyssa Carrasco drained a 3-pointer for the Blackhawks' opening points of the game.

Mont and Vanderwoude would subsequently be the only West Aurora players to score from the field.

But the tournament co-hosts prevailed as Mont hit three 3-pointers.

"I was trying to find the open spot on the weak side," Mont said. "My teammates saw me when I was open, and I was able to knock them down."

Vanderwoude, other than her 5 free throws, scored exclusively from point-blank range.

"I was just finishing," the Blackhawks' three-year starting senior said.

"(Vanderwoude) is a very talented player," said Naperville North junior standout Greta Kampschroeder, who led the Huskies with 11 points. "She'll go to the next level and be very successful."