advertisement

Metea Valley shocks No. 1 Lyons Twp.

Despite entering Friday night on a nine-game winning streak, Metea Valley entered the Class 4A Proviso West regional title game as something of an underdog. After all, Lyons Twp. entered the contest as the No. 1 seed in the East Aurora sectional sporting a 23-5 record.

However, Metea Valley made it clear from the tip that Lyons would be in for a fight, and it was the No. 8 seed that emerged with a 60-57 win thanks to some clutch 12-for-14 free-throw shooting in the fourth quarter.

"Ever since the Waubonsie (Valley) game we turned everything around," the Mustangs' Dei'Ron Delarosa said after a 19-point performance. "We got everything back together and got into the gym and worked harder every day."

Delarosa had a big opening quarter. He scored 10 of Metea Valley's 16 points, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave them a 1-point lead heading into the second.

There, Lyons and Metea continued to seesaw. The Lions flashed an unexpected 1-3-1 zone with 6-foot-8 sophomore Connor Niego on the point that temporarily threw Metea Valley (18-12) off on their way to 4 second-quarter turnovers.

However, junior guard Montrel Oliver hit 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions to keep Metea ahead 32-29 at halftime.

"As talented as they are, we just told our guys to believe in themselves, stay close and grind it out defensively," Metea Valley coach Bob Vozza said. "(The 1-3-1) caught us off guard a little bit, but once we got into our sets (Bryson Oliver) did a great job out there, Delarosa eased the pressure with hitting some shots and (Montrel Oliver) came off the bench and hit some big 3-pointers."

In the third quarter the two teams continued to take turns in the lead and after a hard-fought defensive eight minutes, it was Lyons that led 41-39 heading into the fourth.

However, it was Metea that seemed to control the tempo in the final period. Delarosa hit a 3-pointer to start the quarter that gave Metea the lead, and outside of Harrison Niego giving Lyons 1-point leads twice, Metea managed to hold a one-possession lead until the final horn rang.

"It was a total team effort. Those matchups gave us fits defensively," Vozza said. "We fought and put our guards in positions where they're not used to guarding down there but they did a good job."

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.