Junior guard/forward Mantas Zilys possesses a pure shot for Naperville Central.
“Every time he shoots the ball,” Redhawks coach Pete Kramer said, “I think it’s going in.”
But that’s not all. His proficiency as a shooter is just the tipping point of Zilys diversifying his overall game.
He loves to play at both ends of court, creating shots off the dribble, and he has evolved into a tough defender.
“During the summer, I worked very hard on all aspects of my game,” Zilys said. “You saw that tonight.”
Indeed, Zilys had a Friday night to remember. He finished with a double-double, producing 15 points and 11 rebounds, in sparking the Redhawks to 50-32 DuPage Valley Conference victory over Naperville North.
Naperville Central (8-2, 2-1) seized control with three game-altering runs.
The Redhawks began the first half with an 11-0 run and expanded their lead with a 12-0 run to start the second half.
They opened up their largest lead at 19 points with an 11-0 run in the fourth quarter.
Zilys, who plays on the wing, used his outside shot to open up other aspects of his game. He got to the rim and dominated at the defensive end with his rebounding and toughness.
“It was a lot about our defense,” Zilys said. “We were all over the boards. We were moving the ball offensively, and that opened up our drive-and-kick game.”
It wasn’t just any game, either. With the win, Kramer reached a milestone with the 300th victory of his coaching career.
“I thought we played unselfish and we played hard,” Kramer said. “We have a lot of kids who can score, but I thought our team defense was really good.
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“We kept our composure down the stretch and took care of the ball.”
Behind the hot shooting of sophomore guard Luke Williams, Naperville North (3-6, 1-2) led by as many as six points early. He scored seven points in the first quarter.
Zilys’ 3-pointer, however, ignited an 11-0 run as the Redhawks took a 23-18 halftime lead. The Huskies managed only seven baskets over the final three quarters.
Senior guard Zeke Williams was the only player for Naperville North to score in the second quarter, contributing six of his team-best 13 points.
“We let their shooters shoot and they made their shots,” Williams said. “We are learning every game, and I feel like we are getting better. We have to keep that consistency like we had in the first quarter.”
Luke Williams finished with nine points. Sophomore guard Bryce Welch added seven.
“We got into a tough stretch because they have a great shooting team,” Naperville North coach Gene Nolan said. “They were scoring, we were not getting stops, and it was a multiplier.”
Senior guard Jonah Hinton played a brilliant all-around game for the Redhawks with eight points, seven rebounds, six assists and four blocked shots.
His ability to create shots gave a boost to Zilys and the Redhawks’ shooters.
Senior guard Brad Kuta chipped in with seven points, including a crucial 3-pointer during the 12-0 run in the third quarter.
“We have a lot of great players on the perimeter and we can all shoot the ball,” Kuta said. “It’s hard to stop us all. I got some open looks.
“The more we play like a team, and the more we move the ball, the better we are.”
Michael Boyce managed six points, with each of his three baskets developing off beautiful interior feeds from Hinton.
“Our game plan was to being patient on offense and letting the game come to us,” Hinton said. “I was just reading the defense and seeing what was open. That helped us at the offensive end.”
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Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.