Neuqua Valley cruises past Elgin 79-40
The Neuqua Valley boys basketball team got 61 points off the bench Friday night.
That stat might be a little deceiving because of the Wildcats' normal starting lineup only Dwayne Evans started against Elgin.
But it shows the depth Neuqua Valley has on its roster. And that depth was certainly on display in a 79-40 Upstate Eight victory at Chesbrough Field House.
Drew Sutton, Ryan Wagner, Christian Shonkwiler and Steve Waeghe earned starts after their play Tuesday against Oswego East.
"On Tuesday, that group that started (Friday) was our best group," Wildcats coach Todd Sutton said. "We wanted to reward them. They didn't look as sharp, but that's OK. We like to reward our kids."
Of the starters, Evans had 12 points and Sutton added 6. Off the bench, Kareem Amedu finished with 22 points on 10 of 14 shooting without playing the fourth quarter. Jeff Moss, who is usually the No. 3 center, added 8, including 6 during a game-changing 16-0 run in the second quarter.
With the Wildcats (23-1, 7-1) leading 13-10 early in the second, Moss had an offensive rebound and putback to start the run. Derek Raridon, a normal starter, hit a pair of 3-pointers and another bucket during the spurt. Amedu capped the run with another offensive rebound and putback as Neuqua took a 29-10 lead.
The Wildcats have now won 15 consecutive games and five games at Elgin this season, winning four games in December en route to the Elgin Holiday Tournament title.
"We know the rims by now," joked Evans, who added 10 rebounds and 4 blocks. "I feel like we can play well anywhere."
Matt Reed, who didn't take a shot in the first three quarters, scored 14 points in the fourth quarter for the Wildcats.
The Maroons (9-12, 2-4) couldn't find any rhythm offensively. They went just 5 for 27 in the first half and found themselves down 32-14 at halftime. Elgin finished 14 for 54 for the game. Tim Newcombe led the Maroons with 10 points, all in the fourth quarter. Marcus Redburg added 9 points and 7 rebounds.
"Tonight was about learning a lesson. And I hope we learned a lesson," Elgin coach Mike Sitter said. "I had some guys who looked like they didn't want to be on the floor because we got down early. I wasn't going to take them out. They're going to learn their lesson."