Treshawn Blissett struggled to find the words, trying to explain what had just happened.
An athletic, 6-foot-5 junior forward, Blissett is adept at maneuvering through traffic in getting to the rim for Waubonsie Valley. But that didn’t happen Tuesday night.
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Not against Naperville North’s smothering 1-3-1 defense led by 6-4 senior Jacob Nolen in the final regular-season game for both DuPage Valley Conference teams.
“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs,” Blissett said. “We just haven’t been as consistent as we should be. No. 14 (Nolen) made it hard to move the ball. He had quite a few steals.
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“We were turning it over and couldn’t even get to the paint. It was just hard.”
A brick wall kind of hard.
Nolen came up with six steals to disrupt the Warriors, who led 8-5 before the Huskies took control in a 56-31 victory. They limited Waubonsie to eight points in the second quarter and just two in the third on Blissett’s rebound basket.
While Blissett finished with team highs of eight points and eight rebounds for Waubonsie (14-15, 5-5), the win secured second place in the DVC for Naperville North (19-11, 7-3), one game behind Neuqua Valley.
Waubonsie, which started the season with a six-game winning streak and won five straight through Feb. 3, is seeded eighth in the Class 4A Bolingbrook Sectional.
However, the Warriors head into Wednesday’s playoff opener against 10th-seeded Oswego in the regional they host having lost three straight by lopsided scores.
“It’s a roller coaster,” Waubonsie coach Andrew Schweitzer said. “It’s on me. That 1-3-1 is a bear to deal with. We thought we had a good plan, but right now, we’re struggling to put the ball into the hoop and that’s leaking into every other aspect for us.
“We are going to try and find solutions. Oswego is basically the opposite of us. They started poorly but they’re playing as well as anyone.”
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The second season can’t come soon enough for the Warriors, according to senior forward Jackson Langendorf.
“We’ve played well and poorly,” Langendorf said. “We’re in the locker room trying to figure it out together.
“It’s tough, but everybody starts 0-0. It’s a fresh slate. You get in a good week of practice and move forward.”
Road show begins: Yorkville, a second seed in the Class 4A Moline Sectional, has one of the more challenging postseason paths in the state beginning with the Pekin Regional.
The Foxes appear ready, traveling Tuesday to Lincoln-Way East and winning 51-42 in a game that had the look and feel of a sectional semifinal since the Griffins are seeded fourth at Bolingbrook.
Dayvion Johnson led the way with 19 points for the Foxes (25-5), who haven’t won a regional title since 2005.
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“Dayvion has been pretty steady for us,” Yorkville coach John Holakovsky said. “I feel like some of his best games have come in the bigger games we’ve had. Between him, Jason Jakstys and LeBaron Lee Jr., we’re getting good leadership.
“Lincoln-Way East is really good and big. They pressed a lot with two 6-6 kids at the top of it. This was probably the most aggressive, physical game we’ve played. But like I told the kids, this can’t be a highlight of our journey, just a stop.”
No place like home: East Aurora coach Rick Robinson hopes that’s the case.
The Tomcats (13-16) closed the regular season Tuesday with a 66-50 loss to Upstate Eight Conference runner-up Fenton.
East Aurora, seeded 13th at Bolingbrook, opens its regional at 6 p.m. Wednesday against Lincoln-Way East, with the winner advancing to face either Neuqua Valley or Plainfield East.
“A 13 playing a 4 but I was feeling good about it until (Tuesday night),” Robinson said. “But it’s doable.”
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He then learned of Yorkville’s win over the Griffins.
“See what I’m saying,” Robinson said. “We’re at the point of the year where everybody is tired. I honestly believe we have a chance.”
