Neuqua begins new year with win
The goals were clear heading into Saturday's Upstate Eight Conference girls basketball game, and Neuqua Valley met them both.
Get off to a quick start and put 2008's tough start in the rearview mirror. The Wildcats (7-8, 2-1) accomplished both of the goals by pressuring visiting Streamwood into 10 first-quarter turnovers while jumping ahead 21-6 after eight minutes of play in Naperville and coasting to a 56-21 victory from there.
"We definitely wanted to come out strong and show them who's the boss," said Wildcats junior guard Jenna Marsalli, who tallied 9 points in the first quarter alone. "In practice we said 2009 is a new year and we're starting off clean. This is a new year and we want to turn things around."
Neuqua, which went 1-3 against a tough holiday slate, has a roster filled with underclassmen and also has been slowed by injuries this season. But on Saturday the visiting Sabres (3-11, 0-3) could not handle the Wildcats' trapping defense or their balanced attack on offense and strong rebounding.
The guard trio of Marsalli, Morgan Williams and Brittany Williams each scored in double figures, each connected on at least one 3-pointer, and each played a key role in a Wildcats defense that forced 29 turnovers on the afternoon. Marsalli scored all 10 of her points in the first half, which came to a close with the hosts ahead 34-16 after Megan Doody banked in a 3-pointer at the end of the second quarter following a Sabres' turnover.
Streamwood coach George Rosner felt his team made some adjustments and strides in the second quarter and actually had a little momentum after a 3-pointer by Melissa Oehlerkind and a basket by Emma Schmidt left the visitors down 30-16 with a minute left in the half. But a free throw by Marsalli and Doody's 3 made it an 18-point deficit at the half.
"I thought we did a much better job with it after that first quarter," Rosner said of attacking the Wildcats' press. "I thought the key was not the turnovers but the shooting. We had the shots and we had the looks, we just missed a lot of shots.
"A key sequence was at the end of the half. We had it down a little, then we turned it over and they hit a 3-pointer. I felt we were playing pretty good at that time."
The Wildcats sealed the game with a 10-3 advantage in the third quarter that gave them a 44-19 lead heading into the final quarter. Morgan Williams hit a pair of 3s in the final quarter to finish with a game-high 14 points and Neuqua center McKenzie Hughes pulled down a game-high 9 rebounds including 5 offensive boards.
For the Sabres, Schmidt finished with 7 points and 6 rebounds, while Arielle Gallione also had 6 rebounds.