Smaller, slower and less aggressive, Deerfield took a 27-point beating the last time it met Niles North.
It turned out size and speed were not the problem.
Matching Niles North’s pace rather than shying away from it, Deerfield turned the tables on the Vikings, clinching the Central Suburban North title with a 70-60 home victory Friday.
Jordan Baum scored a personal-best 28 points and the Warriors (22-3, 8-1) won their 11th in a row since the 67-40 loss to Niles North (19-7, 6-3) on Jan. 8.
Deerfield will take on No. 7 Evanston in the CSL title game on Feb. 23.
“We’ve got a little chip on our shoulder because we’re not the biggest, fastest or most athletic team, but we work harder than anybody and we love running up and down,” Baum said. “That is what we’ve been doing since they killed us last time.
“That was a little eye-opening. We were not ready to play with their physicality and speed, and ever since then we have been ready to play that speed and we wanted to. It’s been fun.”
The third quarter must have been a blast, then, as Deerfield scored 24 points to extend a 30-28 halftime lead to 54-46.
The lead was 60-54 midway through the fourth when Deerfield threw two extra passes to find Baum wide open for a 3 — the Warriors’ first in the second half following a series of backdoor layups.
“Our base offense is to read,” Baum said. “It is fun to play that way because if someone is open they’re going to get the ball and get to the rim.”
Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.
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Player of the game: Jordan Baum, Deerfield, 28 points, 10-10 FTs.
Key performers: Deerfield — Jeremy Sernick, 15 points. Niles North — Damaria Franklin, 18 points; Crishawn Cook, 16 points.