Medina sparks Neuqua Valley to victory against St. Edward
As St. Edward chipped away at Neuqua Valley's 16-point halftime lead, Wildcats junior Sofia Medina sat on the sidelines awaiting a chance to take back momentum.
"It was kind of hard to see on the bench," Medina said.
When Medina got her chance in the fourth quarter, she took it and ran with it. Medina had 9 points, 3 rebounds, 4 steals and made 5 trips to the free-throw line. Neuqua Valley picked up a 52-43 win over St. Edward in the Brenda Whitesell Invitational at Hinsdale South.
"I just felt really fired up after the third quarter," Medina said. "I did it more for my teammates, just to get the whole win for all of us."
It was just the spark the Wildcats (2-1) needed. After seeing their 16-point lead turn into a 1-point deficit, the Wildcats needed to regain their mojo.
They did that with stout defense. Neuqua Valley forced 9 turnovers in the fourth quarter and limited the Green Wave (0-2) to just 3 points in the final period.
It was a welcome sight for Neuqua Valley coach Mike Williams, who's been playing a bit of musical chairs in finding his optimal lineup.
"We're playing with a lot of different lineups, getting a lot of kids different exposure," Williams said. "That's what the early part of the season is for, I've always felt."
Still, the game plan for the Wildcats was simple: force turnovers. It was fairly successful; they caused 29 turnovers.
"Today, we just wanted to get steals and run them on the fastbreak," senior Jasmine Walker said. "We just wanted to run them, press them and make sure they weren't ready."
For the Green Wave's Yssa Sto. Domingo this game is a moral victory.
"This isn't a loss in my book," the senior point guard said. "It's more of a learning experience. We have nine great seniors that are going to show leadership and portray that out on the court."
The biggest lesson being that no deficit is too big.
The Green Wave scored 16 straight points to open the third quarter and tie the game at 35 on a three-point play from Madison Knott. St. Edward outscored Neuqua Valley 21-4 in the third quarter.
"I think the third quarter is the way were capable of playing," St. Edward coach Michelle Dawson said. "For whatever reason we struggled with their height and quickness in the first half. That's not the style of game we want to play.
"Third quarter I was very proud of them. We finally got into a bit of rhythm and got some momentum our way."
But ultimately Medina's fourth-quarter heroics helped Neuqua Valley hang on for the victory.
"I was just trying to keep the ball moving," Medina said. "I knew that the fouls were up so if I just kept dribbling, hopefully they'll foul me and I'll get on the line."