Boys varsity basketball defeats DeKalb in the home conference opener
Photo by Grace Ainger
The Naperville North High School boys varsity basketball team defeated DeKalb High School on Friday, Dec. 9 in a tight matchup.
The Huskies (5-4) beat the Barbs (4-1) with a final score of 74-71 after three overtimes.
The Huskies came out strong in the first quarter scoring the first nine points of the game. This strong start was led by junior Luke Williams who scored 12 points alone in the first quarter. The Barbs then settled into the groove of the game, cutting the lead to 30-24 going into halftime. Williams notes that he’s not only looking to take shots himself.
“[just] making sure I get my teammates open for open shots, [to] obviously they got me open tonight, which helped us win the game,” Williams said.
However, the Huskies began to lose steam in the second half, putting up only nine and ten points in the third and fourth quarters, respectively. The Barbs took advantage and tied the game up with just fifteen seconds left in the fourth quarter. Senior Charlie Farrell speaks on how leadership supports the team during tough games.
“For me, with the team, it’s just trying to be a leader, and trying to get the guys [you know] all to a point to where they can succeed in the games,” Farrell said.
Overtime was just as competitive for the teams. The Huskies were down three points with 17 seconds left. Williams then drilled a three-pointer to send the game into double overtime tied at 56. Williams highlights the defense and how they had to adapt throughout the game to eventually win.
“Making sure no threes, especially on number two, he’s a great shooter. [you know] they have a lot of great shooters on the team so making sure [like] closing out on three balls and make them put the ball on the floor,” Williams said.
Despite the tough competition throughout the game, the team came together to finish strong. They pushed past the Barbs to win 74-71. Head Coach Gene Nolan explains that the team won this game, not just one player.
“We knew that they were going to come back, they’re tough kids, they execute well and they really guard you. But, I [just] feel like our kids did a great job of playing together,” Nolan said.
The team will play their next game on Friday, Dec. 16 against Naperville Central High School. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Naperville North High School.
Will is a senior and starting his second year on The North Star staff. He is excited to start his role as the Sports and Heads up Huskies Editor this year....
Grace is a senior at North and is thrilled to begin her second year of The North Star as Managing Editor. She’s excited to pursue her own journalistic...
Bob Richards • Dec 11, 2022 at 6:10 pm
The North Star staff does a really good job . Will’s insight to the competition is enhanced by his own athletic success and he has a good feel for game analysis. – nice job!