Downers Grove North and Naperville North are an even 3-3 against one another since January of 2018, but not for long. The Downers Grove North Trojans will head out on the road to face off against the Naperville North Huskies at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Downers Grove North will be looking to extend their current eight-game winning streak.
Last Saturday, Downers Grove North strolled past Oswego East with points to spare, taking the game 52-38. Given Downers Grove North's advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked 26th, while Oswego East is ranked 140th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Downers Grove North's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Kaitlyn Parker, who scored 19 points, and Campbell Thulin, who scored 17 points along with five rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Thulin has scored all season. Hope Sebek was another key contributor, scoring five points along with nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, Naperville North didn't have too much trouble with DeKalb on the road on Monday as they won 53-36.
Naperville North's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kendall Johnson led the charge by scoring 15 points along with five rebounds. Another player making a difference was Ava Podkasik, who scored 12 points along with six rebounds and five steals.
Downers Grove North is on a roll lately: they've won 15 of their last 16 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 22-3 record this season. Naperville North's record is now 11-13.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Downers Grove North have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 26.4 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Naperville North struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 24 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Downers Grove North didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Naperville North when the teams last played back in January of 2023, but they still walked away with a 44-40 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Downers Grove North since the squad won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
