Huskies knock off Br. Rice

Naperville North’s Jon Bunge is disappointed that his team has not shown more enthusiasm this season. On the other hand, Huskies coach Roger Strausberger would like to see Bunge get more vocal on the court.

Sometime this season, coach and player may meet in the middle. Meanwhile, whatever the Huskies are doing, it’s working.

Bunge and Mike Henry each had nine kills to lead No. 5 Naperville North (5-2) to a 25-20, 25-20 victory over defending Tiger Classic champion Brother Rice Friday at Wheaton Warrenville South.

It was a much different Naperville North team Friday than the one that lost to Neuqua Valley in its season opener by blowing a 16-7 lead in the third game.

“I think we found something,” Bunge said. “Something is working. I think we’re more comfortable now. I won’t say everything is perfect. If it were, we’d win 25-0, 25-0.”

Brother Rice (3-1) watched a 13-11 lead in game one evaporate via a 7-2 run by the Huskies and then found itself down 20-16 in game two.

“We made a lot of passing errors, particularly on their jump-serves,” Brother Rice coach Paul Ickes said. “We’ve got a group we need to spend more time with. We need more court time.”

Mike Buckman added 20 assists for Naperville North, which is seeking its second tournament title in as many weeks.

“It was a dull game,” said Bunge, a 6-foot-2 senior who is weighing his college options. “We seemed really down. Hopefully, we’ll step it up tomorrow (Saturday). We need to bring tons more intensity to the court. We need to bring intensity and have fun.”

Strausberger readily admits Bunge is one of the most intense players on the court. He would just like to see Bunge be more outspoken.

“He’s definitely our go-to guy,” Strausberger said. “He’s got really good court sense. He creates offense for us. When he elevates, he’s looking at the block the whole time. If something doesn’t feel right, he can make a smart shot with the ball.

“H’s a leader for our team. He’s just kind of quiet. I’d like to see him be more vocal.”

In other action, Buffalo Grove (4-2) and Lincoln-Way Central (9-1) advanced to the gold division by sweeping their pool-play matches. Buffalo Grove defeated Lincoln-Way East and Evanston, while Lincoln-Way Central dumped DeSmet Jesuit (Mo.) and Stagg.