Naperville Central guard Matthew Meier felt uneasy at the start Friday night. The early indication was more of the same trouble.
The RedHawks, who lost three of their previous four games, were down 14-6 to Waubonsie Valley midway through the first quarter.
“They came out and hit a couple shots, and we turned the ball over a couple times early that led to easy transition buckets,” Meier said. “That’s what kind of happened the last two losses we’ve had.”
This time, the host RedHawks rediscovered its defense, found some timely offense and went on to take a 50-37 Du Page Valley Conference victory.
Central (13-9, 7-5) held Waubonsie (4-18, 0-12) to six points in the second quarter and just five in the third.
More Top Picks Best Pool Pumps
“Once the second quarter came around, we really locked up defensively,” Meier said. “And we were smarter with the ball offensively. Once we moved it around and got some shots, we kind of built the lead.
“When you give up as many points as we had the last two games, we had to change something up. I think the zone helped a lot. We communicated really well. The last couple games we hadn’t.”
Nick Kramer, who scored a game-high 17 points, hit two 3-pointers, and Meier got free for a layup to start the second quarter with an 8-0 run that put Central ahead 19-16. The RedHawks led 27-22 at halftime.
Kramer hit two more 3s in the third quarter when the RedHawks outscored Waubonsie 17-5 to take a 44-27 lead.
“I think we moved the ball really well in the second half,” Kramer said. “Everybody took really good shots. Just moving the ball well, I got some open shots.
“Just being at home, the atmosphere, makes me feel more comfortable.”
Meier finished with nine points and Harry Hallstrom contributed eight points and six rebounds.
“We were moving the ball well as a team,” Meier said. “When Nick was hot, I was trying to feed him. If somebody is hitting shots, we’re going to feed him.”
Naperville Central coach Pete Kramer appreciated the middle of Friday’s game more than the beginning and end.
“I don’t think we started the game very well, and I don’t know if we finished the game very well,” Pete Kramer said. “In between, it was really good, really good. I thought the kids really played together, moved the ball very well.
“We’ve been a little hesitant on offense. I thought we played a lot more relaxed, more confident, and I think ball movement was the key. It was good to see Nick shoot like that.”
Mark Rullo led Waubonsie with 10 points. The Warriors used 11 players.
“We’re trying to get guys who are going to make shots,” Waubonsie coach Chaz Taft said. “If this guy isn’t making them, we’ll go right to the next guy. We’ve got to.
“We’re trying to find guys who can make shots, trying to find guys who can get consecutive stops, find guys to rebound competitively.”
Tim Tierney is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.