Neuqua Valley leaves no doubt
Play like this and you wind up hoisting trophies over your head in March.
Neuqua Valley's boys basketball team put on an absolute clinic in Saturday's much-anticipated nonconference showdown at Downers Grove South, burying the Mustangs 70-31 to match the program record for wins in a season.
Neuqua Valley (26-1) not only ended the Mustangs' 15-game winning streak, the Wildcats extended their own winning streak to 18 straight.
In a packed gym brimming with postseason energy, Neuqua Valley showed why it deserves its place among Class 4A state favorites.
"We definitely wanted to make a statement," said Wildcats guard Rahjan Muhammad, who led a balanced effort with 17 points. "We knew it was going to be a good game. We actually came into it like it was a sectional game."
The motivation was clear from the tip. Neuqua Valley scored the game's first 8 points while holding the Mustangs (20-5) scoreless for the first 4 minutes, 35 seconds.
The Wildcats' defensive effort was staggering - single digits allowed in each quarter, the Mustangs shot 10 of 50 from the field and their biggest run was 4 straight points. Once.
"We were killed in all aspects of the game," said retiring Mustangs coach Paul Runyon, who was honored before the game for his 28 years of service to the school. "We just couldn't make a basket all night. Their defense was better than I've ever seen them play."
The Wildcats' offense sputtered in the first half, but they still led 25-13 at the break. The sputtering turned into a well-oiled machine in the second half as Neuqua Valley hit 18 of 21 shots from the field.
"We knew Downers was a very good team and we had to bring everything we had," said Wildcats senior Derek Raridon, who hit two of the team's seven 3-pointers and scored 11 points. "Tonight was pretty special. We were definitely confident, but we thought it'd be a lot closer. All of a sudden we just played out of our minds."
Neuqua Valley started the second half with a 7-0 spurt, and began the fourth quarter with a 10-0 run. In the first two minutes of each quarter, the Wildcats outscored Downers South by a combined 24-0.
The margin went from 10 points in the second quarter, to 20 points in the third and ballooned to more than 30 points in the final period.
"Obviously, this is the best we've played this year," said Wildcats coach Todd Sutton. "We knew they were a very good team and we needed a good test before the tournament.
"It was just an extraordinary effort," he added. "It wasn't the regular great effort. It was almost superhuman. The intensity was just incredible tonight."
Eleven players scored for Neuqua Valley including 8 points and 10 rebounds by Dwayne Evans. Fellow starters Nolan Brown and Kareem Amedu each had 6 points.
Downers South leading scorer Malcolm Herron had 10 points as the Mustangs' starters - averaging 50 points per game - were held to a combined 20 points.
"We underestimated them a little bit and thought we could stay in the game," Herron said. "I've got to give it to their team, they hit a lot of shots. We'll be fine later in the season. This is a learning experience for all of us."
BOX SCORE
Neuqua Valley 70, Downers Grove South 31
Neuqua Valley - Brown 2 1-1 6, Muhammad 7 2-2 17, Raridon 3 3-4 11, Evans 4 0-0 8, Amedu 3 0-0 6, Sutton 0 0-0 0, Shonkwiler 1 3-4 5, Wagner 1 0-0 2, Waeghe 1 0-0 2, Reed 1 2-2 5, Sutter 1 0-0 3, Moss 0 0-0 0, Pembrook 2 0-0 5, Williams 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 11-13 70.
Downers South - Gorniak 2 0-0 5, Herron 3 3-4 10, Cahill 0 0-0 0, Staisiunas 1 0-0 2, Dervishi 1 1-2 3, Bentley 1 0-0 3, Carson 1 0-0 2, Biel 0 0-0 0, Kusinski 0 0-0 0, Wido 0 0-0 0, Dillon 1 2-2 5, Mahone 0 0-0 0, Kaminski 0 0-0 0, Mueller 0 1-2 1, Steinhaus 0 0-0 0, Janowiak 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 7-10 31.
Neuqua Valley 10 15 20 25 -70
Downers South 4 9 9 9 -31
3-point baskets: NV: Raridon 2, Brown, Muhammad, Reed, Sutter, Pembrook. DGS: Gorniak, Herron, Bentley, Dillon. Fouled out: None.