With a challenging pair of conference games, a clash with the formidable DePaul Prep and an appearance in the State Farm Classic all coming in the next two weeks for Bradley-Bourbonnais, Monday’s home game against Naperville Central seemed a good opportunity for the Boilermakers to build some momentum.

They did just that, beating the Redhawks 59-43 thanks to a sizzling start that featured a 17-0 run that bridged the first and second quarters. That run saw the Boilermakers (4-5) take a 28-5 lead, allowing them to cruise the rest of the game.

Freshman guard DaJuan Brown had 10 points as one of three Boilermakers to score in double figures. He said that while it felt nice to pick up a win following a pair of tough losses last week, the team is gearing up for the next two weeks.

“It felt great, but we can’t really let that sit with us,” he said. “It’s going to be battles each and every game, because it’s Christmas and no one really wants to lose. Everybody has film on each other, so we just want to keep getting better.”

The Boilermakers came out swinging in the first quarter Monday, knocking down four 3-pointers as a team to build up a 19-5 lead by the quarter’s end. They had nine 3s in the game.

Tez Smith had one of them in the first quarter, then added seven more points in the second, a quarter the Boilermakers led by as many as 25 points before taking a 37-19 lead into halftime.

Head coach Eric Long said the team’s high levels of energy, communication and concentration on defense helped them get up and running, but vitally, they were able to play efficiently on offense and make sure those defensive plays were not taken for granted.

“I thought we were smart in transition when we did get a chance to run,” he said. “We didn’t take bad shots, we shared the ball really well and just found the open guy. We were able to knock down some shots while we were getting stops, and that can be the difference over the course of a 32-minute game.”

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Bradley-Bourbonnais's Trey Lawrence, right, and Naperville Central's TJ Hillman, left, try to bring in a rebound in a game on Monday, December 15, 2025. (Nicholas Holstein for Shaw Local)

Smith finished with 13 points, tying for the team lead with Trey Lawrence. Six of Brown’s 10 points came from the free-throw line, where he shot 6 of 8. The Boilermakers were about 70% (9 of 13) from the line as a team, while the Redhawks shot just 50% from the line (13 of 26)

Kobe Lawrence added seven points. Drew Kubal knocked down a pair of 3s in the first quarter to finish with six points, while Julian Gonzalez added six of his own across the second and third quarters.

All in all, 14 players saw the floor for the Boilermakers. Nine of them scored.

For a team that has only two returning varsity players, Long said it is nice to be able to build in-game experience while also continuing to find a balanced scoring attack.

“I think that’s the way it’s going to be all year long,” he said. “Anybody that goes out there has the ability to score the ball, and I think our guys are unselfish and just willing to find the open player. If we keep doing that, then you’re going to continue to see that balance as we move on.”

Naperville Central (3-5) had its third loss in the past four games. TJ Hillman led the way with 14 points. Casey Cooperkawa added nine points, while Corey Finkley added eight, all in the second half.

The Redhawks outscored the Boilermakers 38-31 after Bradley-Bourbonnais’ 17-0 run ended, but it was too little, too late.

“We dug ourselves into a hole,” coach Mike Ortiz said. “We just need to be better, and we’ve been better. Last week we played good ball, and we took a step back tonight. We’re going to look to regroup and get back in the direction we know we can play.

“The second half was better, but we can’t wait until the second half.”