Boys Basketball notes: Downers Grove North looks to get back on track after 13-game win streak snapped

Downers Grove North hit a minor snag last weekend.

The Trojans opened the season with several key victories to establish themselves as a team to watch in Class 4A. Downers Grove North won 13 straight games after a season-opening loss.

Then the Trojans ran into Lyons and Hinsdale Central on consecutive days last weekend, which resulted in a pair of losses by a combined three points to fall further down the West Suburban Silver Conference standings. The Trojans (13-3, 3-2) have a chance to get back on track when they host Glenbard West on Friday.

Junior guard Jack Stanton, who was named the MVP of the East Aurora Holiday Invite, said the Trojans played well in the East Aurora tourney, focusing on “good defense and sharing the ball really well and pushing it in transition and making easy passes.”

Stanton said the Trojans have to regroup after last weekend’s losses to a pair of quality conference opponents.

“We went through film after the last two games and fixed everything immediately,” Stanton said. “We had to fix a lot of offensive things, transition and (have) more movement. We also have to be able to hit shots, which as a team we were not able to do in those games. We have to stay within ourselves with our heads down and keep pushing through onto the next game.”

Stanton is one of the leaders on a balanced team, averaging 16.2 points, 3 assists and 2 steals per game. Downers Grove North coach James Thomas said his floor leader is establishing himself as a top player in the conference.

“Jack has been our leading scorer,” Thomas said. “He had a back issue, but that’s been straightened out, so I think he will continue to play well for us.”

Thomas said his team is motivated to play Glenbard West following last weekend’s pair of close losses.

“I feel great about the team, but we still have room to improve, things to tighten up and big games ahead to check where we’re at,” Thomas said. “We lost two games this past weekend by three points...We need to learn from that experience and do some things better.

“I think it’s fair to say we’re in the upper class of the West Suburban Silver, and we should contend for the league, but I’ve outlined to our kids that finishing in the top three oftentimes means you are playing good basketball…The season is young and we aren’t looking at anything besides doing what we do better and at the highest level.”

Knights battling

IC Catholic Prep took a big step toward contending for the Metro Suburban Blue Conference title with an impressive home victory over Aurora Christian on Tuesday night. The Knights (13-5, 4-1) are right behind league leader Riverside-Brookfield (13-4, 4-0). The two teams hook up for a key conference clash on Jan. 24 at IC Catholic. Senior Kal Kilgast filled up the scoring sheet, burying six 3-pointers to finish with a career-high 32 points. The Knights are off to their best start since 2017-18, when they recorded a 20-10 overall mark and 8-6 in conference.

“Saturday’s game against York was a fun game for the community and fun to be a part of, but the Aurora Christian game was more important because we’re playing for a conference championship,” IC Catholic coach T.J. Tyrrell said. “We told the guys that they have to bounce back and be focused. They definitely responded, especially defensively in the fourth quarter.”

Kilgast said the Knights showed some toughness with a comeback win over the Eagles.

“It was a tough game and really important for the conference,” he said. “We put in a new offense and we just are starting to perfect it. It’s starting to get us some good looks out of it. We all have worked really super hard this summer and it has paid off. It’s been really good to beat some teams that we’ve fallen short against in the past.”

Tidbits

The 29th Annual Jim & Sylvia Roberts “Night of Hoops” held at Batavia High School is set for Jan. 21. The one-day event features four varsity games and four sophomore games, with York playing St. Charles East at 3 p.m., Larkin vs. Wheaton Warrenville South at 4:30 p.m., Oswego East vs. Hillcrest at 6 p.m. and Hinsdale Central taking on host Batavia at 7:30 p.m.