Naperville Central’s game plan against West Aurora on Saturday night boiled down to this: Contain 6-foot-9-inch center Shaun Pruitt and hope for the best.
“You’ve got to take some of their strengths away and hope some of their [other] strengths don’t come through,” Redhawks coach Pete Kramer said before the showdown between the DuPage Valley co-leaders.
“[Pruitt] is going to score, but if we can contain him, then I think we’ve got a chance. But if not, we’re going to be in trouble.”
The plan worked for nearly two quarters, but Pruitt and teammate Jason Thomas ultimately proved unstoppable as they combined for 44 points on the way to a 74-60 victory.
Pruitt collected 21 points and Thomas had 23 as the No. 4 Blackhawks (14-1, 5-0) claimed sole possession of the DuPage Valley lead.
But Naperville Central (11-4, 4-1) was right with West through the first half.
They rode the three-point shooting of Nick Massuci (one) and Kyle Julius (two) through a first quarter that ended in a 17-17 deadlock.
Julius hit another three to open the second, followed by a Massuci layup and a Julius free throw for a 23-17 Central lead, the biggest of the night.
But Pruitt and the Blackhawks began to stir with 3:45 left as the senior center scored on the first of two feeds under the basket in a two-minute stretch as West closed the gap to 24-21.
The game was tied three times in the final minute before Travis Marion was fouled on a rebound with one-half second showing. His subsequent free throw gave West a 30-29 halftime lead.
By the third quarter the Blackhawks began to assert their strength. A Pruitt bucket at the 7:03 mark ignited a 13-0 run.
By the time Sheldon Evans had a steal and layup nearly four minutes later, West Aurora had opened a 43-31 advantage.
In the fourth quarter West Aurora twice pushed its advantage to 15 points, including a 61-46 lead with 4:51 to play. But the Blackhawks were then called for a series of fouls starting at the 4:22 mark.
Over the next 50 seconds, the Redhawks hit 4-of-6 free throws and senior Matt Bailey added a three-pointer as West’s lead dwindled to 63-56.
Thomas then took matters into his own hands.
In 26 seconds, the senior guard hit a free throw, banked in a field goal and had a steal and a slam dunk as the Blackhawks restored the lead to 12 points at 68-56 with 2:25 to play.
Julius paced the Redhawks with 23 points.
