Naperville North girls basketball hosts the Neuqua Valley Wildcats in the latest DVC matchup. Both teams are looking to halt a losing streak with the Huskies dropping five in a row and the Wildcats losing three straight contests. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Naperville North girls basketball opens with nine straight points against Neuqua
A defensive start as we begin at the halfway point of the quarter. Looking to get things going for their offense, North’s Natalie Frempong finds Ava Podkasik in the corner who finds her spot for the midrange jumper. The Huskies lead 4-0 in the opening minutes.
Later in the quarter after a defensive stop, the Huskies look to extend their lead. Frempong swings the rock to Sydney Smith who finds Mia Podkasik in the corner knocking down the three. North runs out to a 9-0 advantage.
After a defensive stop, the Wildcats are looking to swing the momentum their way after a slow start offensively. Nalia Clifford finds Michayla Stone for the midrange. The Wildcats cut into the Husky lead 9-4.
Next Wildcat possession, the Wildcat offense keeps the ball moving as Clifford is left wide open at the top of the key as her three-pointer finds the bottom of the net. North leads 11-7 with under two minutes left in the opening quarter.
Looking to close the quarter out strong, North pushes the pace as they look to beat the buzzer. Natalie Frempong can’t convert on the three but the ball stays with the Huskies after a Smith rebound who finds Anna Richards for the three. The Huskies lead 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Huskie Anna Richards connects on four threes in the second quarter
Three minutes into the 2nd quarter, the Wildcat offense finds Michayla Stone down low, getting the Wildcat bounce for the layup. Neuqua trails 14-11.
Moments later, Natalie Frempong runs the fast break for the Huskies and draws in the Wildcat defense, leaving Anna Richards open in the corner, knocking down her second three-point shot of the game. North leads 20-11.
Approaching the two-minute mark of the quarter, Wildcat Quinn Sigal misses her three-point attempt but Taylor Dobry gets the offensive rebound and the layup for the second-chance points. North leads 26-18.
On the next Husky possession, Frempong finds Anna Richards open off the screen as Richards knocks down her fourth three-point shot of the quarter. Going into the break, the Huskies lead 31-18.
Early in the third quarter, Richards steals the ball, which begins their fast break. Ava Podkasik taps it to Frempong, who attacks the basket but finds Sam Kelly with a nice bounce pass for the layup. The Huskies lead 33-18.
Nearing the halfway point of the quarter, the Wildcats are looking to cut the deficit before the 4th quarter. Clifford attacks the Husky defense in transition, then slows down the pace as Clifford finds Sigal who cuts to the basket with the floater which she converts. Neuqua trails 35-23.
Not long after the Sigal floater, the Wildcat defense gets the steal off Frempong as Sigal finds Alexis May for the layup. North leads 35-25.
Under a minute left until the start of the final quarter, Wildcat Nalia Clifford drives along the baseline before passing it back out to Dobry. Dobry passes it to Stone which draws in the North defense, leaving Clifford open in the corner for three. After three quarters, the Huskies still lead 45-33.
North girls basketball doesn’t let the Wildcats back into the contest
First possession of the quarter for North, Sam Kelly finds Frempong on the wing who knocks down the step back 3 to extend the North lead 48-33.
Later in the fourth, the Neuqua offense begins to push the pace as time becomes a factor. Clifford finds Sigal open in the corner for the three as Neuqua trails 50-40 with just over four minutes left.
After the Husky inbound, Ava Podkasik finds Natalie Frempong who shows off her handles which creates a lane. Frempong drives to the basket and makes the tough layup over the Neuqua defense to bring the lead back up to double digits, 53-42.
Nearing the 2-minute, 30-second mark, Richards gets the defensive rebound but is immediately doubled by the Wildcat defense. Clifford is able to get the passing lane steal as the Wildcats are back on offense. Alexis May finds Quinn Sigal down low against Frempong, as she scores from the post and draws the foul. The Huskies lead 53-45.
A few possessions later, all the Huskies need to do is to protect the ball from the intense Wildcat defense. Frempong speeds past the defense and finds Sam Kelly for the layup, putting the game out of reach.
Naperville North girls basketball snap their losing streak on their home floor, with a 62-51 victory over Neuqua Valley.
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