Peaster, Waubonsie surprise Downers Grove South
Shooting the basketball is mental, said Waubonsie Valley boys coach Steve Weemer, like putting in golf.
If that's the case, don't let Justin Peaster lull you to sleep on the front nine.
The Waubonsie Valley guard scored 19 of his team-high 22 points in the second half and 12 in the fourth quarter to help the Warriors outdistance nonconference guest Downers Grove South 66-60 in Aurora on Saturday.
"Coach told me to focus when the second half came, so I just focused on my shots, tried not to force anything, and they came," said Peaster, who hit three 3-point shots plus a three-point play.
"As long as it came," said the curly-haired senior, "I will shoot it."
Downers South junior Malcolm Herron will also take a shot or two. Waubonsie's Josh Daniels gave up 5 inches to play solid defense early on Herron, who scored 16 of his 23 points after halftime.
Downers South (4-2) made 10 first-quarter turnovers to let Waubonsie (8-1) post a 12-6 lead entering the second, but Herron and Julius Staisiunas keyed a 16-4 run that gave the Mustangs a 24-21 halftime lead.
Waubonsie turned the tables, six Warriors scoring in the third quarter. Offense translated to defense to produce a 25-16 edge in the third quarter.
"Our effort comes from our defense," said junior forward Jelani Johnson, who scored 10 points with 5 steals. "Once we get steals or blocks we've just got to come back and then we need to finish our offense."
Herron agreed. "I think that was the key thing, they had a lot of layups," he said.
A Peaster field goal off a Johnson steal and 3-pointer from Kevin VandenBerg's assist moved Waubonsie's lead to 51-40 with 6:58 left.
The Mustangs pulled within 55-52 with 3:46 left on Billy Dillon's basket from a steal by Alex Gorniak.
Waubonsie answered with a 9-0 run keyed by Peaster's three-point play and baskets by Steve Strickland and Kyle Obendorf to put it away at 64-52 with 1:14 left to play.
Daniels scored 9 points, Strickland and VandenBerg adding 8 apiece for Waubonsie. Andrius Simulis had 11 for the Mustangs followed by Gorniak with 9.
Peaster wasn't in Downers South's scouting report, coach Paul Runyon said, inactive the day Downers South scouted Waubonsie.
"That kid really came on in the second half and really hurt us," Runyon said. "The whole third quarter was just terrible."