Neuqua Valley takes win from Waubonsie
The game was there for the taking. So Neuqua Valley took it.
The unbeaten Wildcats won the 23rd meeting against host Waubonsie Valley, beating the Indian Prairie District 204 rival 72-55 on Friday in Aurora.
Neuqua forward Sam Johnson scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, causing separation after the Warriors pulled within 47-43 on Tyler Yanisch's steal and layup with 7:16 left in the Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division outing.
Kick-started by Jim Stocki's sharp-angled bank shot, Johnson's soaring lay-in and pair of 3-pointers near the top of the arc paced a 10-0 Wildcats run. Neuqua Valley (7-0, 3-0) added padding with 14-of-16 fourth-quarter free-throw shooting.
“We came out from the locker room in the second half and started getting some boards and getting on the ground and hustling,” Johnson said after Neuqua's fourth straight win in the rivalry. Waubonsie (5-2, 1-1) clings to a 12-11 series lead.
“That fourth quarter, I knew if I knocked down some shots we would pull away and our defense could step up,” Johnson said. “I was just thankful that I could knock down those shots when I was open.”
The 6-foot-3 senior, Neuqua's sole returning starter, also had the main job in limiting Waubonsie guard Jared Brownridge to 3 first-half points. The talented sophomore lit it up late with three 3-pointers and 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter.
“The first half I just wasn't feeling it,” said Brownridge, who acknowledged nerves may have been a factor in his varsity debut against Neuqua. “Second half, I came out ready to go. The next time I've got to be ready for the first half and the second half.”
The final score betrayed a contest tight through three quarters. Waubonsie Valley outrebounded Neuqua 11-6 in the first quarter, including 4 offensive rebounds, 2 from junior Brandon Malby bounding off the bench.
Neuqua Valley coach Todd Sutton addressed the disparity and his team outrebounded Waubonsie 31-18 the rest of the way. Stocki grabbed 11 rebounds to match his point total, and Alex Karkazis grabbed 7 to go with 7 points.
Pat Kenny subbed in for Karkazis with 8 points in the middle quarters, helping Neuqua survive 15 turnovers in the second and third quarters. Jabari Sandifer recorded 7 assists and 8 points.
“I said ... whoever wins the boards will win the game,” Sutton said. “And we struggled that first half and the second half I thought we did a better job. We got after it a little bit.”
Waubonsie Valley coach Steve Weemer would have liked a bit more getting after it by the Warriors, who got 8 points from Malby and 8 from Austin Keys before Keys fouled out with 1:43 left to play. Waubonsie shot just 21 of 67 from the floor.
“To be honest,” Weemer said, “we got out-toughed tonight a little bit, and that can't happen if you're going to be a good team down the stretch. You've got to be tough as nails, and they out-toughed us.”