Naperville North boys basketball on the road at Neuqua Valley in a game both teams badly want to stay within striking distance of first place in the DVC. The Huskies won in come from behind fashion at home over the Wildcats back in early December. This highlight is sponsored by BMO Harris Bank.
1st Quarter
Slow going offensively for both teams early on so Neuqua senior Cole Vonnahme uses his 6’4 size to grab the Jayden Dean miss and put it up and in for the games opening basket.
Next possession, Huskies with a response as Zeke Williams drives and makes a tough layup in the paint to even the score.
Wildcats find their rhythm on offense as Jayden Dean buries this corner triple to put NV on top 11-4.
2nd Quarter
Into the second quarter, some good hustle leads to points for Neuqua. Erikas Gurskas with a save under the hoop to Nick Lendino who gets the bucket and the foul. Cats lead 13-6.
Naperville North battling back, a nice back cut from Luke Williams for the layup on the nice feed from Cole Ari.
This time it’s the Huskies getting some hustle points. Andrew Dawson tips the rebound to Luke Williams who draws the contact and gets the layup to go. North down by five.
Now the younger Williams creating off the dribble as he finds Jake Torcasio for three. Huskies getting the offense in gear to pull within one possession.
As the second quarter winds down, Cole Ari drives to the paint and gets the off balance runner to fall just ahead of the buzzer. Neuqua takes a 23-20 lead into halftime.
3rd Quarter
Early in the first half and Jayden Dean keeps his big night going as he gets the pass from Vonnahme and makes the layup plus the foul. 16 in the game for Dean.
The Huskies staying close. Sophomore Bryce Welch drives and hits the elbow pull-up jumper. North down 26-24.
Good ball movement for Neuqua as Nick Kinkade swings to Kurt Lonuntad who hits the open three. 7 big points off the bench for Lonuntad.
Quarter winding down and Zeke Williams drives and gets the runner to go just before the clock expires. 18 points from Zeke who leads all scorers on the night but the Huskies trail by six.
4th Quarter
Neuqua with a big night on the glass with double digit offensive rebounds. Cole Vonnahme corrals this miss and puts it home for two more of his 9 points. 37-28 Wildcats pulling away.
Neuqua looking to put the game out of reach. A nice press break ends with a pass from Jayden Dean to Nick Lendino for the layup. He scores 11 in the game as well. The Neuqua Valley Wildcats avenge the early DVC season loss with a 55-44 win over Naperville North. For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!