Wildcats leave with a victory
Neuqua Valley took the back door out of Naperville Central, boarded the bus and didn't look back.
This was a good win to have in the rearview mirror.
The Wildcats, down two players with injury, saw a 13-point second-half lead slip away before pulling out a 47-45 win over their cross-town rivals.
"Tonight was a good test for us," Neuqua Valley coach Mike Williams said. "I think we grew up a little bit."
The Wildcats (5-3) looked firmly in control, up 36-23 with 3:40 left in the third after a Bria Williams basket. But an Emma Ondik 3-pointer ignited a 14-0 Naperville Central run. Emma Donahue scored off a dish from Kelley Hendrick to give the Redhawks a 37-36 lead with 6:55 left.
Neuqua Valley didn't fold the tent, though, taking the lead back as Morgan Williams found Bria Williams underneath for a score.
With the score tied at 38-38, Morgan Williams knocked down a clutch 3-pointer with 5:01 left, and made 4 free throws in the waning moments.
"If you can win some games like this, close, on the line, it's big for us," coach Williams said.
A Hendrick 3-pointer pulled Naperville Central within 46-45 with 15 seconds left and Danielle Davis split two free throws for Neuqua Valley. At the other end an Ondik runner in the lane rimmed out and Katherine Tanck missed a contested follow shot.
Hendrick scored 26 points for Naperville Central (4-5), which has lost three games by 3 points or less. The Redhawks themselves were missing Claire Fleming (ankle), who could be back Thursday against West Chicago.
"We're a better team than 4-5," Redhawks coach Andy Nussbaum said. "We're losing games we shouldn't lose. We're just not finishing. And today we put ourselves in a big hole. I don't have any reason for it."
Davis scored 14 points and Morgan Williams 13 for Neuqua Valley, which played without Mackenzie Hughes (sprained ankle) and Jenna Marsalli, who had seven stitches near her eyebrow after taking a shot against St. Charles East Saturday. With Hughes out, freshman post players Rachel Ross and Danielle Stanciel stepped forward with a combined 13 rebounds.
"Our young freshmen really stepped up tonight," Morgan Williams said. "They came in and played hard."
It was a nice win for the Wildcats on the heels of a loss to St. Charles East, and with tough contests ahead on Friday against St. Charles North and Monday against Wheeling.
"Anytime you have those cross-town rivalries you never know what you're going to get," coach Williams said. "Get a win tonight, and we'll see what happens. "We just needed to gut this one out."