Caitlin Washington’s 3-point shot is potent. ‘It brought me chills,’ a teammate said. It brings Neuqua Valley closer.

Every 3-pointer that Neuqua Valley junior guard Caitlin Washington makes elicits a different emotion from her.

“When the first one goes in, I’m happy,” Washington said. “When the second one goes in, I’m excited, and I’m looking for the next shot.”

Washington made seven shots, four of them from beyond the arc, on Thursday night. She finished with a game-high 20 points to lead the host Wildcats to a 52-42 DuPage Valley Conference victory over Naperville North.

It was the second time Neuqua Valley (16-9, 6-0) has beaten Naperville North (17-8, 4-2) this season and gives the Wildcats a commanding two-game lead in the conference standings with four games remaining.

They have not won the league title since 2016, but the win proved that the Wildcats’ 42-41 road victory on Dec. 1 — which snapped Naperville North’s 40-game DVC winning streak — was no accident.

“The first win was almost like a sidelight,” Washington said. “It just set us in the right direction. The second time kind of showed it wasn’t a fluke. We’re prepared, and we come to these games ready to go.”

Washington, a Division I prospect, was ready for this one. She scored Neuqua Valley’s first two baskets on a layup and a pull-up jumper.

“I felt pretty good,” Washington said. “I had a good shootaround earlier today, and it translated into the game.”

But it didn’t translate into success for the Wildcats at first. McKendree recruit Abby Drendel, who finished with a team-high 13 points and is nine points shy of 1,000 for her career, scored eight in the first 10 minutes as the Huskies sprinted out to a 20-11 lead.

The advantage didn’t last long. The Wildcats responded with a 14-0 run, which Washington capped with back-to-back 3-pointers, the first off a steal and pass from junior guard Zoe Navarro and the second off an assist from freshman guard Nalia Clifford for a 25-20 cushion.

Washington’s deadeye shooting — all of her 3-pointers were swishes — gave junior guard/forward Kylee Norkus a cool feeling.

“Honestly, it brought me chills,” Norkus said. “She’s a great shooter, and it just brought me chills.

“I’m really proud of her, and it definitely helps us during the game a lot, obviously, and it just gets our momentum flowing even more.”

The Huskies, meanwhile, found themselves at a low ebb.

“I think their confidence took a little bit of a turn when she started hitting those shots,” Norkus said. “We started inflating, and they started deflating, and then we just inflated a lot and secured that W.”

Norkus added 17 points, including a 3-pointer which answered one from Naperville North senior center Abby Homan and gave Neuqua Valley a 39-32 lead after three quarters. The Huskies, who had won seven of their past eight, didn’t get any closer.

“We didn’t fold up the tent when we were down early,” Neuqua Valley coach Mike Williams said. “We took their hit and kept playing, and the next thing you know, we started making some shots and made some adjustments on defense.

“That’s just confidence. You can talk all you want about making the next step, but until you actually win those big games, you’re just talking about it. Now they’re actually doing it.”

Indeed, the Wildcats are 7-1 in their past eight games and playing good team basketball, with Washington and Norkus evolving into consistent scorers.

Which is why Washington was happy to get so many open looks.

“I was surprised,” she said. “I think I’m a pretty good shooter. If they’re going to leave me open, I’m going to make them pay. Even when they close out on me, my teammates are always open for the shot and ready to go, and it showed.

“This was a great team win tonight.”

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.