Naperville North’s Mitch Lewis had ample reason to panic Friday.
The 6-foot-6 senior guard picked up three fouls in the first half at Wheaton North and sat for a long stretch. The Huskies then squandered a 12-point fourth-quarter lead as Luke Anthony forced overtime with a coast-to-coast score as regulation time expired.
But Lewis played it cool. He scored 23 points, including seven in overtime, as the Huskies pulled out a big 66-65 DuPage Valley Conference road win.
Lewis clinched the victory by following his own miss with 41.8 seconds left in OT. It was fitting since Lewis dominated in the lane and the post following halftime.
“I don’t like playing too fast,” Lewis said. “I like to keep my composure and wait for the right moment. I had a couple inches on the guy who was guarding me. That’s how I was going to attack him.”
Winston Elston and Tommy Welch each added 13 points for North (5-1, 2-0). Anthony scored 27 for Wheaton (4-2, 0-2), with 15 coming in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Chris Sullivan, though, got the last laugh on the Falcons’ star. The senior guard knocked the ball away and stole it from Anthony at the 3-point line in the final seconds of overtime, preserving the Huskies’ win.
“You have to anticipate, beat him to the spot and wall up,” Sullivan said. “Luckily I got a deflection on it, and it turned out to be a steal.”
Multiple players for North nursed foul trouble throughout, but the Huskies led 50-38 with 4:17 left in regulation.
There was a huge disparity in free-throw efficiency. The Huskies shot 12-for-26 from the line, while Wheaton went 22-for-23. North missed 5 of 6 free throws in the final 30 seconds of regulation, setting the stage for Anthony’s tying basket.
“I’m proud of the guys that they stayed resilient,” North coach Jeff Powers said. “We didn’t do a good job at the free-throw line, but we did a good job everywhere else. Give Wheaton credit. They made some tough shots.”
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So did Lewis.
In the third quarter, he turned a spinning move in the lane into a finger roll at the rim. Just before, he dropped off a pass to Welch for a layup. Lewis started overtime with a 3-point play and rolled in a running hook shot.
Seconds after Anthony’s free throws gave Wheaton a 65-64 lead, the Falcons’ first since the first quarter, Lewis had the answer.
“Mitch Lewis was a stud,” Powers said. “He wanted the ball, he got it and he scored. If he didn’t score, he got it to other guys. He kept us in control.”
It’s early, but it was a significant win for Lewis and the Huskies. Wheaton was the only team to beat Naperville North in conference last year, and the Falcons are expected to be a chief contender in the DVC once again.
“We’re taking steps,” Lewis said. “It’s nice to be able to pull out a win like this. They have a great atmosphere here.”
Joshua Welge is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.