On Friday, Jan. 31, the Naperville North varsity girls basketball team faced the Naperville Central Redhawks on the road and pulled off a decisive win.
The Huskies (12-13) conquered the Redhawks (12-15) with a score of 64-55.
Despite losing the opening tip, the Huskies’ offense got off to a quick start, with junior guard Natalie Frempong (1) scoring the first 7 points of the game. The Huskies started to build an early lead due to their strong defense. Huge shots by senior guard Anna Richards (12), junior guard Sam Kelly (11) and sophomore guard Ava Podkasik (5) helped to motivate the offense to keep the Huskies looking strong throughout the first quarter.The Huskies led the Redhawks 22-14 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Huskies kept the momentum going with a shot by Frempong to start the quarter. Freshman Sydney Smith (14) and Podkasik grabbed some huge boards for the Huskies, which made it tough for the Redhawks to run any offense. Then, Frempong continued the Huskies’ powerful lead by securing 3-pointers and layups across the court. In the final seconds of the half, Podkasik hit a buzzer-beater which would give the Huskies a 38-22 lead going into the second half. Frempong remarked on how the Huskies were able to have a strong first half.
“I think we were just rolling from the jump… our preparation going into this game was really really great,” Frempong said.
In the second half, Richards started the scoring for the Huskies with a big 3-pointer. The Huskies stayed aggressive on defense with big blocks, preventing the Redhawks from scoring.. The Huskies kept this momentum up with Smith getting a great shot for the Huskies. This led to more buckets by the Huskies, giving them a 48-36 lead at the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Redhawks started a better offensive game through quick shots and big steals, causing the Huskies to struggle on offense; however, their defense managed to stay strong. Richards then hit a huge 3-pointer that helped motivate the offense again. The Redhawks started double teaming Frempong, making it difficult for the Huskies to keep their momentum up. The Huskies then got a huge defensive stop, followed by a 3-pointer by Kelly. After another huge bucket by Kelly and some free throws by Frempong, the final score of the game was 64-55, with the Huskies securing their win. Podkasik commented on how the Huskies stayed tough on defense throughout the game.
“We work together really well, we talk, communication is the biggest key on defense,” Podkasik said.
After an unfortunate buzzer beater loss against Central early in the season, it was a fantastic comeback win for the Huskies. Head Coach Aly Miller emphasized how the team persevered against the Redhawks.
“I feel like we’ve had very few games where we’ve put four quarters together and tonight I think we did that … we stayed composed, stayed together, and we were able to execute and finish it out,” Miller said.
The Huskies’ next regular season game is on Tuesday, Feb. 4 on the road against Metea Valley High School.
