Girls basketball: Naperville North defense, 3-pointers sink DeKalb

DeKALB – It was all about “D” and 3 for Naperville North against DeKalb.

And when the 3-pointers dried up for the visiting Huskies in the third quarter, the defense remained very much in play in a 53-36 win over the Barbs on Monday in a DuPage Valley Conference girls basketball game.

“Our defensive intensity was fantastic and it definitely led to our pace on the offensive end,” Naperville North coach Alyssa Miller said. “I thought our ball movement was fantastic among all our girls, and because of that we found open shooters on the 3-point line.”

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 13

Naperville North's Ava Podkasik and DeKalb’s Kezaria Mitchell go after a loose ball Monday, Jan. 22, 2024, during their game at DeKalb High School. (Mark Busch)

The Huskies (11-13, 2-5 DVC) shot 10 of 17 on 3-pointers in the first half to build a 37-17 lead at the break. DeKalb (14-10, 4-3) never led in the game but cut it to 13-11 after a 3-pointer by Olivia Schermerhorn.

The Barbs came out hot in the third quarter, keeping the Huskies off the board until Kendall Johnson blocked a DeKalb shot, got the rebound and drove the length of the court for a bucket. That ended a 10-0 run for the Barbs.

“About 80% of the third quarter was some great basketball,” DeKalb coach Brad Bjelk said. “Then we kind of got out of whack, had a couple turnovers, then two turnovers turned to three, four. We just got it to 10 and couldn’t get over that hump.”

The lead would drop below double digits only once more, with 6:56 left when Cayla Evans got a steal and a layup. But the Huskies hit 3-pointers on their next three possessions, their only 3s of the second half, to push the lead to 52-34 and seal the win.

“They came out hot,” Bjelk said. “They hit 10 3s in the first half. They were hitting open shots. I think we were maybe a little slow on the closeouts and a little slow with contesting. I mean, a team shooting like that, it’s going to be tough.”

The Huskies shot 13 of 28 from long range while DeKalb was 2 for 5.

“We were definitely hungry to come out for this one,” Miller said. “I thought our energy and pace of game was great, and it definitely worked on the offensive end for us.”

Johnson had 15 points and six rebounds to lead the Huskies, while Ava Podkasik had 14 points, seven rebounds and seven steals to pace the Huskies’ defense.

Brytasi Long had eight points and eight rebounds for DeKalb, with Kiki Mitchell adding 10 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Ella Medina and Evans had three steals each.

The Barbs turned the ball over 29 times, including 18 in the second half. Two of the Huskies’ second-half 3s were set up by DeKalb turnovers. Miller said she was glad to see her team shoot better from long range after going 3 for 20 earlier this season in a 40-39 loss to DeKalb.

“We just couldn’t decide when we wanted to speed it up and get to the rim or when we wanted to slow it down and methodically break it,” Bjelk said. “I thought maybe we could have a little better spacing, a little better communication. But we’re walking that fine line between scoring off the press break and bringing it up a little more controlled.”