Naperville North upsets Waubonsie Valley

Grant Johnson had a slight grin before his Naperville North boys basketball team took the floor Friday at Waubonsie Valley.

The grin was significantly bigger a crisp 80 minutes later. And why?

The Huskies surprised the Warriors 62-53 in a game that saw the visitors execute a 15-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to reverse a 46-41 deficit.

"I think our whole team was just ready," said a beaming Johnson, who led all scorers with 24 points, including six 3-point baskets - his first of which helped stake Naperville North to an 8-0 lead.

"We knew they were going to be one of the best, if not the best, opponent we've faced all year," he said. "We've really grown since the last time we played them."

That was back on Dec. 6, when the Warriors won handily 53-33. On Friday, Waubonsie Valley put four scorers in double figures, led by senior forward Marcus Skeete with 15, but it was for naught.

Warriors coach Jason Mead? Not thrilled.

"They came out ready to play, we came out totally unready to play the first two minutes," Mead said. "They acted like it was an important game. Our team did not act like it was an important game until maybe the second quarter.

"I feel like I don't want to come to work anymore. I'm embarrassed by my ability to get them ready to play."

Across the way the sentiment was different for Naperville North coach Gene Nolan, whose team improved to 11-11 and 2-4 in the tough DuPage Valley Conference.

"I'm happy for our kids, and I'm proud," Nolan said, "but they didn't need to win a game like this for me to be proud of them."

It's hard to see how Nolan wouldn't be proud of his crew. Up just 41-40 at the end of three quarters, Waubonsie Valley's Ben Schweiger and Isaiah Smith hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Warriors up 46-41. At that point it looked like they might just run and hide.

Nope. Huskies sophomore guard Zeke Williams hit a fadeaway jumper from the free-throw line with 5:01 to go, and then Johnson hit his sixth 3 of the evening.

The Huskies were just getting started. After a free throw by senior guard Riley Thompson, Williams hit a layup off a steal at 3:40, and a little over a minute later he dropped his own 3 from the left arc. Four free throws later by senior guard Myles Barry and the damage was done.

The closest Waubonsie Valley would get was 58-53 with 24.6 seconds left, but Barry and Johnson each hit a pair of free throws to close the game out.

Williams, who finished with 20, said mindset was key in that 15-0 run.

"Our coaches are great getting us pumped and everything and just keeping our heads up and that's what we did," Williams said. "Just got a couple of stops and a couple of big shots. That's how you get a 15-0 run."

Added Barry, "It was obviously a tough environment, with a lot of students, but those are the kind of games you want to play."

Schweiger and Smith each had 12 for the Warriors (21-3, 4-2), while Adri Malushi had 10, including a pair of 3-pointers.