Hard-hitting Waubonsie KO's Vikings
The action was fast and furious for the boys basketball season opener.
But in the end, Waubonsie Valley hit its counterpart from Geneva with a formidable one-two fourth-quarter punch.
Waubonsie Valley parlayed tenacious offensive rebounding and defensive pressure to turn the tide Monday night in Oswego at the Hoops for Healing Tournament.
Waubonsie Valley (1-0) forced 8 Geneva turnovers and used 5 critical offensive rebounds to seize control in a 64-53 victory.
Jelani Johnson led three Waubonsie Valley players in double figures with 16 points, and the Warriors set the tone early in the fourth quarter.
Geneva guard Max Cary, who scored a game-high 17 points, forged the sixth tie of the third quarter alone when he drained his second 3-pointer at the head of the key to make it 47-47 entering the fourth quarter.
But there would only be one tie in the fourth quarter, as Josh Daniels capped a 9-0 run with 3:42 remaining on a 3-point play to give the Warriors a 58-49 lead.
"I thought both teams played extremely hard," Waubonsie Valley coach Steve Weemer said. "Our guys persevered at the end."
Waubonsie Valley senior guard Kevin VandenBerg was the Warriors' glue, scoring 13 points in running the attack from his point position.
"We weren't getting back on defense in the first half," VandenBerg said. "Coach told us at halftime that they had 12 fastbreak points off layups. We started to control the pace in the fourth quarter."
Despite 4 consecutive turnovers during the Warriors' 9-point unanswered run, Geneva (0-1) had life left as the Vikings pulled within 58-53 on a Jeremy D'Amico field goal.
Waubonsie Valley, however, closed out the game on a 6-0 run, the entire damage done at the free-throw line.
"The second-chance points and lost rebounds (in the fourth quarter)…" Geneva coach Tim Pease said. "They (Waubonsie Valley's frontcourt) are so gosh-darn athletic.
"We did some good things, but we need to work on some others."
Waubonsie's Justin Peaster matched the 13 points from his backcourt mate VandenBerg, while Alex Turnowchyk and D'Amico scored 11 points apiece for the Vikings.