There’s just something about coming into a hostile environment and trying to perform at your best.
For Naperville Central junior guard Matthew Meier, Friday represented a return rather than a first.
For Meier, one of the more experienced members of Pete Kramer’s squad, the opportunity to come over to Naperville North and try to enact some payback was one to be relished and not feared.
Leading by example and, most importantly, by his actions on the floor, Meier’s game-high 17 points helped spark Naperville Central to a much-needed 44-40 DuPage Valley Conference victory over its crosstown rivals.
“It was huge. When they came into our place (in December), it was devastating and they beat us. We had all the fans and it was just … it was a tough loss,” Meier said. “So coming into here and knowing there’s no feeling like it. It’s the best part of playing basketball. That’s why we all grow up and play this game that we love. It’s all the great support from our fans and just getting a win that we really needed.”
Despite missing 11 free throws in the fourth quarter, the Redhawks found a way to get the job done as only two players, Meier, who had 12 of his 17 in the second half, and junior Harry Hallstrom, with 11, finished in double figures.
With all the momentum entering halftime after Cameron Hardy found Deon Merrill for a perfectly-timed alley-oop with about eight seconds to play in the first half, Naperville North (11-10, 4-3) went into the locker room up four at 19-15.
Hardy, who led the Huskies with 11 points, opened up the second half scoring by splitting a pair of free throws to push the Huskies’ lead out to five points, but the Redhawks responded by going on a 8-0 run—a Harry Hallstrom bucket, a three-point play from Nate Dahl and a triple from Meier.
A 13-3 third-quarter run helped Naperville Central (14-10, 4-3) turn a tie game of 30-30 into its biggest lead of 42-33 as Meier, Hallstrom and Dahl combined on eight of the 13 points.
“Second half, they had the huge dunk at the end of the first half and they had all the momentum. In the second half, we just (settled down). We were only down four,” Meier said. “We knew we had missed some shots and we were turning the ball over. So I think in the second half, we just focused on playing our own game.
“I kind of pushed the ball a lot and that’s how I got a couple easy buckets and then a couple times Nate (Dahl) found me in transition. I had those little pull-up jumpers and when they’re going in, you just keep rolling.”
Controlling the glass to the tune of 34-17, the Redhawks got contributions there from many outlets, including the 6-foot-2 Meier helping out the 6-foot-7 Hallstrom and 6-foot-4 Alex Pomeroy.
“That’s what we told them. We had to rebound,” Kramer said. “That’s all we talked about all week, how we got to outrebound them, got to keep them off the boards. The kids just wanted it. They wanted it. They wanted it and you could tell the way they played. Things didn’t look good for a while.”
With sophomore and the team’s second-leading scorer, Mitch Lewis, in street clothes after being suspended four games for a team policy violation, according to Naperville North coach Jeff Powers, the Huskies had to scrap and claw to get some offensive production.
Aside from the 11 points it got from another sophomore in Hardy, which was matched by senior Baylor Griffin’s 11, the only other Huskie to score significantly was senior Chris Gajcak, who added nine points off the bench.
“I think the way (the Redhawks) came out (in) the third quarter and kind of took all the intensity back from us. After (the Merrill dunk to end the first half), they took all the intensity back from us and got ahead. I think that fueled them. Then we did a horrible job rebounding and getting to 50-50 balls,” Powers said. “Credit their defense. Their defense was pretty solid.
“And then we didn’t knock down a shot (when we needed to). When they made a shot, we didn’t make a shot to counter that. A little bit tough to swallow.”
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