Gallery • 10 Photos

Photo by Kayley Queen

Luke Williams (#5) steals the ball from a Central player and dribbles it down the court.

The Naperville North varsity boys basketball team won against Naperville Central on Friday, Dec. 15. 

The Huskies (6-4) defeated the Redhawks (5-6) with a final score of 58-41.

The Huskies came out ready to play as senior Jack Kallstrand lit the fire with two 3-point shots. Additionally, senior Luke Williams put up seven points to get the Huskies up 17-6 at the end of the first quarter. Central didn’t help themselves out as they turned the ball over 19 times throughout the first half. The Huskies used this to take a commanding lead of 34-19 at the end of the first half. Kallstrand talks about the team’s offensive mentality that carried them through the first half of the game.

“We were looking to pass up good shots for great shots, so my teammates were doing a great job feeding the ball around and I happened to open on those ones,” Kallstrand said.

In the second half, it was senior Bryce Welch’s turn as he put up eight points in the third quarter. However, it was the Huskie defense that kept Central out of the game. They held them to twenty-two points in the second half which was not enough to overtake the Huskies. The Huskies were able to prevail with a final score of 58-41. Welch comments on how he’s put in the work on games like this year round.

“I knew that my teammates were finding me, and I was in a position to succeed. I’ve worked on my game a lot in the off-season so that I can show up in big games like this,” Welch said.

This game meant more for the team because it was against their crosstown rival, Naperville Central. The long-standing rivalry between these two teams has always been able to bring fans to the games, packing the gym. This atmosphere that the game creates is unlike any other for high school games. Head Coach Gene Nolan comments on this friendly competition. 

“It’s always a great rivalry, and we have so much respect for them […] Anytime you have a rivalry game it’s always exciting for the kids to go on the road and we feel fortunate to win,” Nolan said.

With such an emotional win, the Huskies now have to reshift their focus for another Saturday game. The team has now put this game behind them and are getting ready to play East Aurora High School. Welch explains his reassuring mentality for every game.

“I [just try and tell myself] it’s another game, I’ve played a lot of basketball in my life. More than a lot of people at this age have…Going out and playing free is the best thing,” Welch said.

The team will play next on Saturday, Dec. 16, against East Aurora High School at 3:00 p.m.