Dave Stephens Quotations

We got to the line 29 times, which is a real positive. But we only converted 17.

We held them to one shot many times, and that was key. We handled the rebound situation pretty well, too. We needed the rebounding because we had the distinct size advantage.

Nineteen points wasn't going to get it done for us. Nineteen points for some teams and being up by two, that's fine for some teams, but we felt the tempo wasn't in our favor and we also felt we didn't move the ball well.

I also thought that the play before the half was huge for us.

I thought Eric Roberts stepped up and gave us a nice burst of energy. We used different combinations of people and defenses and got to look at a lot of people. We'll play the people who play the hardest and play the best together.

Our kids showed great effort and hustle and were rewarded with another game. That's the best reward today is knowing that we will be able to get in four games here.

Our kids played solid for 32 minutes. That was the key. Anytime you play well for 32 minutes, good things will happen. We have played a lot of good quarters and halves this year, but we put it together for the whole game this time.

We dug ourselves into a deep hole and then dug ourselves out of it, but we just couldn't quite get over the hump. There were a number of things that were costly. They had too many offensive put-backs, and we didn't react quickly enough after loose balls. Then there were the free throws.

We've lost some of our soldiers, and I think people here are fed up with the war. It's a war I'm afraid we can't win.

We gave up way too many uncontested basket. Early in the game they were getting down the court quicker than we were and that is uncharacteristic of this team.

We didn't play with heart and that is especially disappointing on our home floor. We have to question how badly we wanted it. Right now, we are not doing the little things that we need to do to be successful.

We put so much stock in the conference, now we had this to enjoy and the regional is next. There are some good things happening.

We didn't handle their pressure that well tonight. Handling pressure, limiting turnovers and rebounding were the three keys. It isn't often that you lose a game and feel that you took a step forward, but the effort and teamwork were there tonight.

What's especially noteworthy is that Brandon is not forcing shots. By all accounts he should be forcing more. Sometimes his bad shot is our best shot. He is going to make some college coach extremely happy.

We got quality minutes from everybody. I'm really proud of the team effort, and what's even more important is that all the guys executed the way we asked them to.

We changed things up a lot and I was very pleased with the way we handled that. Plus, no matter who was in, we handled their zone well, which was a key. We moved the ball well and when we hunted for the shot, we hunted well. When we balanced the outside with the inside, we looked good.

Brandon does a lot of great things offensively. He had a tremendous game today, but it was a total team effort where everyone stepped up and contributed.

After each of their surges, the kids fought their way back into the game, but we got too emotional and let that get the best of us.

That play gave us a big lift going into the locker room. We were playing more like a team tonight and that is great to see.

They did some of the stuff to us tonight that they did to us three months ago (a 77-57 Lockport victory in the WJOL Thanksgiving Classic), like blocking shots. They made the game more difficult. Whenever we got close enough to get over the hump, we seemed to be a step slow going to a loose ball. And then you have to give Lockport credit. They hit some big shots, did some good things.

It's a small inconvenience, that's all. We're doing this to make sure the children are healthy and happy.

That is enough turnovers for at least two games. We have struggled with our passing and with making good decisions with the ball. But give credit to Naperville North. They did a fantastic job defensively.

It's big for us to be 2-0 in the conference with two road wins. The conference is basically even, and we really think 8-2 could win it. So we're thrilled to be where we are.

After that second quarter surge, the kids did a nice job of battling back.

Their program has made such great strides. There's a lot of character in their program. They have high-quality kids.

I'm trying to get myself a little bit more knowledge about football. Re-connecting with the UH program is probably one of the best things I've done so far.

His contributions are overlooked. He plays the quarterback role nicely, and that allows our other guys to do other things. I think we're better with him in there.

The kids did a nice job staying in there, defensively. I thought our kids stepped up to the challenge.