Naperville North guard Abby Drendel had a front-row seat Friday night for most of the first half of the Class 4A West Aurora Regional championship game.
She wasn’t happy about it.
Drendel picked up her second foul five minutes into the first quarter and took a seat on the bench, where she spent the rest of the half watching the second-seeded Huskies struggle to gain a lead on upset-minded West Aurora.
That unwelcome rest served only to fuel Drendel’s fire. The 5-foot-10 junior returned with a vengeance to score all of her 10 points after intermission to help Naperville North pull away for a 62-52 victory.
The Huskies (29-3) advance to play third-seeded Downers Grove North (24-7) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the East Aurora Sectional semifinals.
“I was sitting, obviously, in the first half because I got in some foul trouble and that just makes me want to go out and create more and do something to affect the game,” Drendel said. “I’d say that’s part of the reason I came out and scored a little bit.”
Drendel scored six points during the third quarter by aggressively driving to the basket. She made two free throws and a pair of layups.
Kenzie Hare followed the second layup with a 3-pointer to give the Huskies their largest lead at 47-26.
Naperville North outscored West Aurora 22-11 in the third quarter to take a 53-33 lead. Those eight minutes proved to be decisive.
“Everyone played great,” Naperville North center Sarah Crossett said. “Everyone was playing to their strengths, especially in the third quarter.
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“We have a tendency to have a good strong start to the second half, which definitely helps us.”
The Huskies needed it to hold off the eighth-seeded Blackhawks (15-13), who got a game-high 23 points from Riley Mont. The DePauw commit also made four 3-pointers.
“Riley is a great player,” Hare said. “I played with her in AAU and she’s the best.
“They’re a great team. We had to keep our composure. We didn’t do as good of a job as I thought we should have. Taking better shots, taking better care of the ball is what we have to do.”
While the Saint Louis-bound Hare saw room for improvement, the Huskies did what they needed to do to eliminate a scrappy team on its own floor. They put four players in double figures.
Hare battled through foul trouble to produce a team-high 17 points with seven rebounds and three assists. Drendel and junior forward Peyton Fenner, who had nine rebounds, both scored 10 points.
But it was the 6-0 Crossett who anchored the Huskies, especially in the first half when Drendel and Hare were limited.
Crossett scored eight of her 13 points in the first quarter to give North a 17-14 lead. She finished with 14 rebounds, including five on the offensive end.
“The goal at the beginning of the game was to get off to a quick and efficient start like we always do,” Crossett said. “We also knew we had a size advantage inside in the post with me, (Abby) Homan and Peyton. That definitely played to our strength.”
Drendel said that Crossett, a Tufts recruit, is a big strength.
“She’s a big rebounder for us on both sides, offense and defense,” Drendel said. “She’s a big presence and brings people in, which creates open shots for our shooters. And then if we drive, she’s there for a dish and always finishes.”
Crossett was glad to beat the Blackhawks.
“We knew they were a strong team,” Crossett said. “We were definitely prepared to fight and I’m glad we pulled it out with a win.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.