Girls Basketball: Downers Grove North uses early run to take control in win over Downers Grove South

DOWNERS GROVE – Long known for its defensive prowess, Downers Grove North quickly is finding its footing on the other end of the court this season.

Led by a career-high 30 points from Hope Sebek, the Trojans continued their recent run of offensive fireworks with a 73-31 victory over Downers Grove South on Dec. 17.

Including a 54-21 win over Proviso West on Dec. 16, a young Downers North team has won five straight and scored 53 or more points in each of the past four games.

“Individually, it feels very nice and rewarding,” said Sebek, who got her 30th point on a three-point play at the third-quarter buzzer before sitting out the fourth period. “But all of us were giving each other opportunities to score. It wasn’t just one person, it was all of us together.

“I think Downers Grove North is known for defense. When we are getting stops, that encourages us to get better looks on offense, to take our time.”

Sebek scored 13 points in the opening quarter as the Trojans (10-3) closed the period on a 19-0 run to grab a 23-6 advantage. The junior poured in 15 more in the third and connected on two of her team’s seven 3-pointers.

“We started off a little slow, but it quickly all came together,” Sebek said. “We were just passing it up the floor, we were all looking up, doing everything coach was telling us and it worked. And the energy was high, which helped all of us.”

The visitors forced eight turnovers in the first quarter and 13 for the half, which ended with Downers North up 38-14.

Violet Mitchell, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, knocked down three 3s to finish with 13 points and three steals.

“It feels great to be back on the court,” Mitchell said. “I wouldn’t feel as strong as I do without my teammates. Last year, they were there for me the whole time. It feels really good. I definitely don’t take for granted playing basketball anymore.”

Margaret Fleming also was in double figures with 10 points. Kaitlyn Parker had nine points.

“The last couple weeks, I feel like we are clicking,” Mitchell said. “We are seeing each other open, our vision has been better, and we are moving the ball a lot quicker. And we are there for each other. That really bonds us together.”

The Trojans, who led 66-23 after three quarters to bring on the running clock, are 4-1 in the West Suburban Silver conference, one game back of Lyons Township.

“I feel like it’s kind of happened game by game over the last five games,” Downers North coach Stephen Bolt said. “They are making good reads, making good decisions. They’ve been doing a nice job offensively. And I’m proud of the kids defending. We did a great job of bringing a ton of urgency defensively. Everyone played great. It was fun to watch.”

The Mustangs (7-6) had seen their seven-game winning streak come to an end Dec. 16 in a loss to Willowbrook. Downers South, which sits atop the West Suburban Gold standings with a 5-1 mark, was led by Megan Ganschow with 11 points and seven rebounds against Downers North. Allison Jarvis had nine points.

“DGN is a very disciplined team,” Downers South coach Lyndsie Long said. “They play very sound defense and can score. They outplayed us.

“That seven-game winning streak was great for our team’s confidence. The girls were motivated to keep winning and we are jelling more and more. The last couple games we haven’t been at 100%, so we will have to get back to work and fix some things on both ends of the floor.”