North looking to wrap up share of DVC title tonight

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Naperville North's Mike Keane blocks a shot by Naperville Central's Ian Lewandowski Saturday at Central. | Mary Beth Nolan~For Sun-Times Media

Updated: March 23, 2012 8:09AM

Rebounding successfully from its 64-53 loss at home last Friday to West Aurora a night later by leading wire-to-wire in its 55-39 victory at Naperville Central, Naperville North closes out its regular season tonight at home opposite Glenbard North with a lot to play for.

A victory over the Panthers, avenging one of the Huskies’ two DuPage Valley Conference setbacks — a 61-53 loss on Jan. 28 — would give them at least a share of their first DVC title since winning back-to-back crowns in 1996-97 and 1997-98.

“Well, you guys have been doing this long enough to know, in our conference, how tough it is to win a title, especially when you got the West Auroras and the Glenbard Easts in there and this team, when they had (Northwestern’s Drew) Crawford — they were pretty darn tough,” Naperville North coach Jeff Powers said Saturday after watching his team get a 16-point win over the Redhawks. “So for us to be in a chance to do that with one game left, a tough game, it means a lot to the kids.

“They really want this. They want their 2011-2012 (championship) on the wall because it hasn’t been there (in a while). Maybe that showed a little bit (last Friday against West Aurora), but today they calmed down and played and had fun playing basketball.”

While Naperville North (18-7, 11-2 DuPage Valley) hosts Glenbard North tonight, co-DVC leader West Aurora (21-4, 11-2 DuPage Valley) travels to Lombard to play Glenbard East, which upset the Blackhawks in Aurora on Feb. 8.

“It would mean so much. We’ve been talking about (winning the DVC) all year and just coming out with these three games left, all we had to do is focus on winning one (last Friday against West Aurora),” said Huskies’ senior guard Matt Stacho, who led the team with 11 points Saturday against Naperville Central. “Unfortunately it got away and all we really want to focus on right now is (getting) that championship.”

Czarnowski unlikely to play

Missing his first two games of the season this past weekend, Nick Czarnowski’s value to Naperville Central was quite evident as both Wheaton North and Naperville North came into its gym and left with victories last weekend.

Czarnowski, averaging team-highs in both points and rebounds, has been dealing with an ankle issue for the majority of the season after initially sustaining the injury during the Hoops for Healing Tournament in November.

Czarnowski was in fine form by recording three consecutive 20-point outings in Naperville Central’s three victories in the tournament, helping the Redhawks get off to a quick 3-1 start. But nights like those have been few and far between since.

Aggravating the injury in the midst of scoring 10 points in the Redhawks’ 64-55 victory at home against Glenbard North on Feb. 10, the 6-foot-8 sophomore Czarnowski was coming off a pair of 20-point games against Wheaton Warrenville South and Hinsdale Central.

After Saturday’s loss to Naperville North, Naperville Central coach Pete Kramer said he was unsure of Czarnowski’s status going forward with all eyes trained on the Redhawks’ Class 4A Neuqua Valley Regional Semifinal meeting with Neuqua Valley on Feb. 29.

“He’s a big part of what we do,” Kramer said of Czarnowski. “You lose 15 points a game and your leading rebounder and he’s also 6-8, a defensive presence in the lane — it hurts.

“We’ll see how he is. I don’t know, at this point, I don’t know (if we’ll) take the risk of playing him and have him get hurt Wednesday, then we don’t have him for regionals. So he may not play Wednesday. We’ll just have to (see). It’s a day-by-day thing.”

Benet finishing on road

Benet, coming off a 59-35 win Monday at Marian Catholic, concludes its regular season tonight at Nazareth Academy. Junior Pat McInerney recorded a double-double Monday at Marian Catholic, scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

The Redwings (19-6, 4-3 East Suburban Catholic) recovered after letting a late eight-point lead slip away last Friday in losing, 50-49, at Marist— representing a flashback to a similar occurrence in a 50-42 loss at ESCC champion St. Viator on Feb. 2.   

Three Redwings scored in double figures against Marist last Friday and four Redwings reached double figures in a pair of victories over St. Patrick and Wheaton Academy, respectively.

“When we have three or four guys in double figures, it’s usually is a good sign for us,” Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said after Benet survived a 33-point onslaught from Wheaton Academy’s Cameron Harvey on Feb. 14. “It means offensively we’re moving the ball well and guys are stepping up and making shots.”

The area’s three District 204 schools will finish their regular season in Upstate Eight crossover games on Thursday and Friday. Upstate Eight Valley champion Metea Valley (22-3, 10-2) will face the Upstate Eight River champion, yet to be determined, on Friday. Waubonsie Valley (17-8, 9-3) and Neuqua Valley (17-10, 7-5) face yet-to-be-determined Upstate Eight River opponents on Thursday.