Naperville North’s Bryce Welch knows much is expected of him this season.
The junior guard is one of the few experienced players on a roster that has just three seniors.
The 6-foot-1 Welch was a key reserve last season but is starting in the backcourt with juniors Cole Arl and Luke Williams.
“I think a lot of (the role) is being a leader and being someone these guys can look up to,” Welch said. “I feel like whether I start or come off the bench, I try to lead a lot of the guys that have never played varsity before.”
Welch led the way as the Huskies threw a scare into Oswego East at the Hoops for Healing Tournament at Oswego on Wednesday. He scored a career-high 20 points in a 49-42 loss to the Wolves, who went 33-2 and reached a sectional final last season.
“Bryce is a high-character kid and a very talented player,” Naperville North coach Gene Nolan said. “His confidence has really grown with success.
“Offensively, he can score at three levels, and then the thing we’re most proud of is defensively all the strides that he’s made. Tonight was the night where he certainly made some big shots for us.”
Welch was the only player making shots for the Huskies (1-2) in the early going Wednesday. He scored 10 points in the first quarter to give Naperville North a surprising 11-7 lead over the Wolves (3-0).
“My teammates were able to set me up really well tonight,” he said. “We knew that they were going to be really athletic, so we wanted to respond to all the punches that they threw at us throughout the course of the game.
“I just tried to do my job and play for my teammates. We all just wanted to play as hard as possible.”
The Huskies did just that. Welch, who shot 7 of 12, and Arl each sank four 3-pointers to offset a rare off night for Williams, who was held scoreless on 0-for-8 shooting.
Arl has known Welch since third grade and isn’t shocked by his improvement.
“I’ve known Bryce for a long time, so I’ve always had my full confidence in him,” Arl said. “I knew he was a great player, so I’m not really surprised by this. He’s putting in a lot of work.”
The Wolves turned a 14-9 deficit into a 34-18 lead late in the third quarter. But the Huskies didn’t fold.
Welch buried a 3-pointer which began an 18-7 run. Arl, who had 14 of his 15 points in the second half, scored eight points during the run, as did Welch, whose 3-pointer with 3:26 left in the fourth quarter pulled Naperville North within 41-36.
Another 3-pointer by Arl cut the gap to 43-39 at the 1:46 mark, but that was as close as the Huskies got.
The comeback demonstrated North’s grit.
“I think it shows a lot of our fight because we know there are teams that are really, really good like that,” Welch said. “We know we’re going to see a team like that later on, so I think being able to continue to get better and be on the other end of those close games is what it’s going to take for us to be where we need to be at the end of the season.
“It’s about staying together throughout the whole game and trusting what our coaches give us.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.