Waubonsie takes Plainfield Central out of the game
Waubonsie Valley coach Steve Weemer hoped his boys basketball team would play Wednesday night the way he knows it should have played during last weekend's holiday tournament.
To his delight Weemer's Warriors rounded right into form, using a hot start to trounce Plainfield Central 67-39 in Plainfield.
"I wasn't happy after our last game at the Oswego tournament," Weemer said. "I thought our guys responded well tonight, and that's how we've got to play. I thought they responded really well, and I'm happy with the way we played tonight.
"We didn't let Plainfield think they were in the game after we got going, and that's what we've got to do."
Waubonsie Valley (4-1) got its game going midway through the first quarter, turning a narrow 8-7 lead into a 19-9 advantage at the end of one.
Guard Kevin VandenBerg and forward Jelani Johnson kept the Warriors offense going in the second quarter, as Waubonsie Valley built a 36-16 lead heading into halftime. The visitors looked equally skilled on the defensive side of the ball, hounding Plainfield Central into 18 first-half turnovers.
"That's going to be a staple for our team this year. Our defense has to create some offense for us," Weemer said. "That's going to be something we're going to have to continue to work on and continue to get better at, but that's something our guys have bought into and (they) understand that's how we've got to play."
The Wildcats (0-4) managed to bounce back in the second half, thanks in large part to senior Matt Campbell. Campbell's 10 second-half points kept the Wildcats' hearts in the game, despite never cutting the Waubonsie Valley lead to under 19 points.
"Campbell is the one kid that I thought played to his potential tonight," Plainfield Central coach Josh Virostko said. "He worked hard, he stayed with it the entire game, (and) he's a leader. He's the kind of guy we hope all of them follow.
"Right now no one else on the floor is following his lead. We have some kids playing hard and trying hard, but they're just not doing things smart."
The game's highlight moment came at the end of the third quarter, when Waubonsie Valley junior Crayton Kendrick nailed a half-court shot that beat the buzzer, giving the Warriors a 52-28 lead.
Johnson again led all Warriors scorers with 13 points, giving him the team high in every game played this season. Campbell scored a game-high 19 points.