Naperville Central girls basketball triumphed over Hinsdale Central on the road last week, and now has its home opener against Kenwood Academy. Last year, Kenwood scored a landslide victory against Central, so the Redhawks have the opportunity to flip the script on the Broncos with a win on their home court tonight. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Redhawks score first, but the Broncos keep the game close
The Redhawk trifecta of Collette McInerney, Erin Hackett, and Annabelle Kritzer gets things started as Kritzer fights through traffic and sinks it off the glass for the deuce, getting Central on the board for their first bucket!
Central offense loses the handle on it, and Kenwood superstar Danielle Brooks gets the steal from Redhawks. Brooks lays it in with the right-handed scoop for two tallies.
In a nearly identical play, and in back-to-back possessions, Brooks gets the steal again, and this time shows off her mid-range jumper skills. The Broncos lead by four.
Clemson recruit Trinity Jones is on the offensive run. Jones whips it cross-court to senior teammate Hackett, who finishes it with a nice bucket. Hackett’s two points tie it up, 12-12.
Off the inbound pass from McInerney, Hackett steps right up and sinks the three. Redhawks are up 17-14 at the end of the first quarter.
Now in the second, Redhawks go around the horn with Hackett finding McInerney, who sails it to Jones. Jones catches and shoots for a successful shot from behind the three point line.
The Redhawks’ string of offensive success continues. Off the inbound, McInerney nicely assists Jones’ second three-pointer of the quarter.
It’s Brooks attempting the three for the Broncos, it’s slightly off target, and teammate Janiah Daniel snatches the offensive rebound and gets the put-back. After a back-and-forth, the Broncos are down by two points.
McInerney fights for the ball and continues to rack up the assists as Jones flies in for the layup bucket. Naperville Central leads by one at the break, 42-41.
The Kenwood offense of Amillya Henigan, Zaire Lester, and Kyndall Burgess starts off strong in the third quarter, and Burgess’s three from downtown is nothing but net.
Later in the third, Central’s Jaliyah Brown is tripped up but successfully finds Trinity Jones, who lays it in as a foul is called, and it’s one point. It is now tied up at 50.
After back-to-back baskets from Redhawk senior Trinity Jones, she goes the distance once again, off a nice rebound pass from Kritzer. Jones gets the layup off the glass for the deuce. Q3 ends with the Redhawks up by seven.
Trinity Jones continues her monster night
Time winds down in the fourth quarter, Hennigan passes to Darryelle Smith, who just misses the mark. Lester plucks the rebound and finds Brooks, who sets up Smith for the second chance and lands the mid-range jumper.
With the clock running out and a nail-biter of a fourth quarter, the Redhawks are down by one! Erin Hackett sails it to Jones as she battles through multiple Kenwood defenders and sinks the layup, giving the Redhawks a one-point lead.
Henigan plucks the rebound for the Broncos, passes to Brooks, who sends it back, and then to Janiah Daniel. Daniel finds Smith just outside the paint, who swishes it! With 25 seconds remaining, the Broncos now lead by one.
Eight seconds of gametime remain. Trinity Jones is fouled and heads to the line for two.
Jones scores 43 in a Redhawk victory
Jones steps right up and easily makes both game-winning free throws. The Redhawks win their home opener, defeating Kenwood, with a final score of 72-71. Trinity Jones sets a new Naperville Central single-game scoring record with 43 points on the night!
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
