Naperville Central star Trinity Jones cleared her mind as she stepped to the free-throw line with nine seconds remaining.
Jones, a Clemson recruit who was selected for the 2026 McDonald’s All-American Game, calmly hit the first shot. Then Waubonsie Valley called timeout before the second shot, but the 6-foot-2 senior guard made that too.
“When I was at the free-throw line, I didn’t think about anything,” Jones said. “I just shot them. When I’m on the free-throw line, I try to think about absolutely nothing, and it worked that time.”
But there was still work to be done to decide the DuPage Valley Conference title in Aurora on Tuesday night, and that required some thought. In a matchup of the best two players in the state, Jones was tasked with defending Waubonsie Valley star Danyella Mporokoso on the final play of the game.
Mporokoso, an Illinois State recruit who hit seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 43 points, was briefly open at the top of the key as Jones lunged forward to contest a potential game-tying 3-pointer.
Jones’ effort was good enough. Mporokoso’s shot hit the front of the rim as time expired, and the visiting Redhawks prevailed 68-65 victory to win their first DVC title since 2018.
“What I usually say is, ‘That’s a great game if you didn’t care who won,’” Naperville Central coach Andy Nussbaum said. “Obviously, we did care who won.
“What a tremendous performance by Danyella, but what a tremendous performance by Erin Hackett, and Trinity Jones in the fourth quarter proved why she’s a DI player.”
Indeed, Jones scored 13 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter, including a layup with 38 seconds left to give the Redhawks (24-6, 9-1) a 66-65 lead. It was the 13th lead change of the second half.
The two-time defending conference champion Warriors (28-2, 8-2), whose only previous loss this season was to Naperville Central on Jan. 15, nearly made it 14 lead changes and three straight titles. Mporokoso, who has 2,819 career points and is just 67 shy of breaking Ashley Luke’s school scoring record, had a good look.
“She got open a little bit, which worried us, but Trinity was there,” Hackett said. “It’s always good to have a lengthy girl.”
That’s why Nussbaum had Jones come out on Mporokoso on the final play.
“We talked in the timeout out about how if she made the free throw, we would give them a two,” Nussbaum said. “So everybody was out there on the edge making sure, and we felt like Trinity’s length would maybe give Danyella some trouble. We knew she was the one that was going to be shooting the ball.”
Jones was ready.
“It was exciting,” Jones said. “She’s a great player — like, phenomenal — very consistent as well.
“I already knew, kind of, from watching her from the beginning of the game to the end, what to expect. So I adjusted my defense according to her playing style. It worked in our favor.”
Mporokoso, who extended her single-season school scoring record to 847 points, wished otherwise.
“It’s a tough shot,” she said. “At the end of the day, I have to be able to hit those. When it comes down to it, the last shot, it’s supposed to be my responsibility. Whether it’s contested or not, at the end of the day, I’ve got to make it.”
The trio of Mporokoso, Jones and Hackett combined to take 87 shots, most of them contested, and thrilled the crowd with their terrific play.
Jones, who also had 10 rebounds, was a force inside, while Hackett and Mporokoso traded 3-pointers in the second half like two boxers exchanging punches.
Hackett, a senior guard, made five 3-pointers and scored 19 of her 30 points in the second half, including a three that put her over 2,000 career points. Hackett, who has 2,004, is the fourth Naperville girl to reach 2,000, joining Luke, Mporokoso and former WNBA star Candace Parker.
“(Mporokoso) got really hot in the fourth quarter,” Hackett said. “She hit a bunch of threes. You can contest them all, but she’s a really good player. It’s hard to guard her, hard to game plan for her, but I think the biggest thing is we came as a team in the fourth quarter, which really helped us to keep it to a minimum in the fourth quarter.”
Although the Warriors were dethroned as DVC champions, they might get a chance to knock the Redhawks out of the playoffs. The teams could meet again in the Class 4A East Aurora Sectional semifinals on Feb. 24.
“This will teach us, and we’ll learn from it,” Waubonsie Valley coach Brett Love said. “The great thing about it is it’s not over. We’ve got an opportunity to make a run, and we may get another run at them.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
