A victory shy of the program’s first regional title in 10 years, Naperville North isn’t going to change now.
So says Jeff Powers.
For the second time in his seven years at the helm of the Huskies’ program, Powers has his charges a step away from advancing to a sectional.
Ahead of Friday’s meeting with sixth-seeded York in the Class 4A Lyons Township Regional Final, his message to his third-seeded Huskies remains constant.
“Our kids are just having so much fun and they’re just a joy to be around,” Powers said, “so we’re going to keep the same motto that we’ve been – ‘humble and hungry’ – and try and get this win Friday night.
“If it happens, great. I know for one thing, they’re going to play hard and they’re going to play their hearts out and that’s all you can ask for. And whatever the score ends up after we play our hearts out – that’s what the score is.”
With only one loss – a two-point loss to Bloomington on Feb. 6 – since losing 45-40 to York on Dec. 31, playing hard hasn’t been an issue for Naperville North (23-4).
With sophomore center Chris Johnson, who had 13 points against York in December, out with a fever, the deep Huskies picked up the slack during Tuesday’s 50-38 victory over Downers Grove North.
With junior Mitch Lewis and senior Jelani McClain leading the way against the Trojans with 17 and 10 points, respectively, the contributions of senior E.J. Vaughn in the post didn’t go unnoticed.
Vaughn scored five points and grabbed eight rebounds to help lead a 26-rebound effort for the Huskies without the 6-foot-6 Johnson.
“I was very proud of them,” Powers said. “And it’s a credit to our kids. They understand their roles, but E.J. came in and he’s been playing all year like he’s been playing and he just didn’t miss a beat and actually could have got more minutes. (Vaughn) produced a lot of good things for us. He’s a very, very tough center.
“He rebounds, provides points, play defense. So he stepped it up and I was proud of the other guys because Cam (Hardy), Jelani and Mitch went back and got more boards this time. And that’s what they had to do.”
Lewis, Winston Elston and Hardy came up as sophomores at the start of last season and earned valuable experience during a 16-win year in 2014-15.
Their overtime loss to West Aurora at West Aurora in a regional semifinal last year adds to that.
“It’s all part of the journey,” Powers said. “We brought all these kids up as sophomores. They got a taste of what it is to play in a regional game last year against a really good West Aurora team. So they learned from that and all year long, they’ve been learning from things.
“So they’re excited to play. They don’t want their season to end. We’ve got a lot of kids that are real ballers and they want to continue to keep this journey going. And they’re having so much fun together and that’s the key.”
What Powers remembers about his team’s five-point loss to the Dukes (18-12) in the title game of the Jack Tosh Holiday Classic is simple.
Defense.
The 40 points the Dukes permitted to the Huskies were tied for the Huskies’ lowest total of the season, joining the 40 points they scored in a four-point victory over Naperville Central on Jan. 15.
“They’re a real good, scrappy team,” Powers said. “They’re going to be tough. They have a lot of different weapons. They’re kind of like us. Their kids know their roles and they do it and their defense is outstanding.”
Patrick Grabowski, Nick Kosich, Ryan Camp and Jack Morrissey all had at least eight points for the Dukes back on Dec. 31 while Johnson was the lone Huskie in double figures.
Lewis, the DuPage Valley Conference Player of the Year, was only in his fourth game back from dealing with a couple injuries and only had two points.
The Huskies’ last 13 games have seen Lewis, who’s averaging a team-high 11.6 points, score in double digits 11 times.
Lewis, McClain, Elston and Hardy will be tasked with trying to deal with Camp, Morrissey and Kosich.
“They’re really a team that if you don’t respect all of them,” Powers said, “you’re going to be in trouble because the big, strong kid – the Grabowski kid – can hurt you. They’re just well-rounded. (Kosich) had two threes against us, the freshman, last game. So if you don’t respect their ability to shoot and close them out tough, they’re going to hurt you.”
