Sports
Boys Basketball: Central Drops Another Close One to Glenbard North
Glenbard North 57, Naperville Central 53. Similar to the first matchu between the two DVC rivals, the Redhawks drop another heartbreaker in the regular-season finale.
The Hot Read: Naperville Central held a 43-39 lead early in the fourth quarter after back-to-back rebound putbacks from Alex Renn and Mike Schremp, but once Glenbard North took the lead again, the Panthers never relinquished it in a 57-53 boys basketball victory on Wednesday night. Central gave itself a chance late when Bryce Kirk hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to 55-52 and Glenbard North’s Josh Fleming missed the front end of two one-and-one situations, but the Redhawks did not score another field goal the rest of the way. Two late turnovers proved to be too much to overcome.
Patch’s MVP: Central senior David Niggins did his part to keep the Redhawks in it with a game-high 22 points and six rebounds, which tied Schremp for game-high honors.
Key Stats: Central was outrebounded 17-8 in the first half. But the Redhawks were able to turn the tables in the second half, owning a 17-6 advantage on the boards. Central was also shaky from the free throw line, hitting only 7-of-15 in the setback.
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Naperville Central Leaders: Niggins (22 points, 6 rebounds), Schremp (9 points, 6 rebounds), Nick Czarnowski (7 points, 4 rebounds).
Glenbard North Leaders: Fleming (16 points, 4 rebounds), Anthony Keener (12 points, 4 rebounds), Brandon Clark (8 points, 4 rebounds).
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Quotable: “I thought we came out real flat early in the game and that catches up to you when you do something like that,” Central coach Pete Kramer said. “We talked about having to be ready to play. For some reason, I don’t think we were ready to play. They got their rear ends chewed at halftime. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t, but it worked. I thought the kids did a much better job rebounding in the second half.”
Team Records: Naperville Central (12-14 overall, 5-9 DuPage Valley Conference), Glenbard North (10-15 overall, 5-9 DuPage Valley Conference).
What’s Next: Central enters play at the Class 4A Glenbard East Regional at 6 p.m. Monday with a matchup against a familiar DVC foe, Wheaton North. The Redhawks beat the Falcons in both regular-season meetings. Glenbard North heads to the Class 4A West Aurora Regional and will face Batavia at 6 p.m. Monday.
