Blaise Meredith is used to making the big stops.
Now he’s taking Neuqua Valley’s biggest shots, too.
When Meredith, a 6-foot-2 senior guard, rose up and banked home a short runner in the closing minute Wednesday, he not only stemmed a Naperville Central rally.
Meredith continued his evolution as the Wildctas’ go-to player.
“I know I have to be the guy,” said Meredith, who scored 22 points in the 57-48 DuPage Valley win. “I’m playing with a lot more confidence. I have more freedom.”
Meredith was Neuqua’s defensive stopper as a junior. A rangy, fluid athlete, he took a team-high 24 charges but averaged just 5.6 points. This season, he’s averaging 16.2 points..
With the graduation of scorers like Joe Sieger and Jacob Cushing, Meredith knew he needed to expand his game. He’s worked on his shooting, and especially his ballhandling.
The defense is still there.
In the third quarter, Meredith soared from seemingly out of nowhere to block a Central shot at the rim.
“I thought Blaise had probably the best game he’s played,” Neuqua coach Todd Sutton said. “He does things that you don’t notice. He slashes to the basket, boxes out, gets boards. He did a little bit of everything.”
Meredith faced up to responsibility, too.
He was benched for the first quarter of Neuqua’s previous game, a 58-44 loss to Metea Valley. Meredith played 31 of 32 minutes against Central, scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter.
He wasn’t happy with the Wildcats’ 23 turnovers, but it still was a step forward for Neuqua (3-3, 1-1).
“I definitely felt like I let my team down missing that first quarter,” Meredith said. “I wanted to come back and say, ‘Hey I’m here, let’s get back on track, let’s get some wins.'”
Meredith is a streaky shooter, so it helps him to play with aggression. He did so against Central and made 10 of 11 free throws.
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“First four games I shot like 60 percent — I’m usually more in the 80s,” Meredith said. “I’ve been working on those.”
Nick of time: Naperville Central (2-5, 0-2) needs consistent offense from senior Nick Kramer as the Redhawks identify other scoring options, and he provided it Wednesday.
Kramer scored 21 points against Neuqua and knocked down five 3-pointers. He missed his first four shots, then heated up with 12 points in the second quarter.
“I thought Nick was very active for us,” Central coach Pete Kramer said. “He was a little bit more aggressive at the offensive end and he needs to be.”
Naperville Central needed Kramer’s production. Ben Wolf, a 6-foot-8 junior, missed practice this week with sickness and played limited minutes.
Turnovers have been a recurring issue for Central, which has lost five straight. The Redhawks had 17 turnovers against Glenbard North and 10 in the first half at Neuqua.
“It’s hard to win when you’re turning it over that much,” Kramer said. “We’re still looking for more scoring. If Nick and Ben and Noah (Swope) don’t score, we’re looking for kids on the bench who can contribute.”
Tosh pairings: York released pairings Wednesday for its 43rd Jack Tosh Holiday Classic. The 32-team bracket has a heavy Naperville flavor.
Waubonsie Valley opens with Hinsdale South at 9 a.m. on Dec. 26, Metea Valley plays Sandburg at noon, and Naperville North meets Palatine at 5 p.m. in a first-round game.
The Huskies lost to host York in last year’s final. The tournament runs from Dec. 26-30.
Joshua Welge is a freelance writer for the Naperville Sun.