Neuqua Valley turns back DGS' upset bid
You can try telling Downers Grove South that Neuqua Valley has had little success this year with its pressure defense on inbounds plays, but after Saturday the Mustangs will have a hard time believing you.
On a night when it appeared as if visiting Downers South (16-9) was more than ready to upset Neuqua (25-1), the host Wildcats overcame a 14-point third-quarter deficit to pull out a thrilling 58-56 victory.
The biggest sequence of plays came two minutes into the fourth quarter when Dwayne Evans started an 8-0 Neuqua run with a put-back. Back-to-back Evans' steals on inbounds plays followed and when DGS was pressured into a third straight turnover, Kareem Amedu hit a short jumper that cut what was a 50-39 deficit down to 50-47 with 4:55 left.
The hosts' comeback was far from complete - especially since they had to play the final 2:37 of the contest without Evans who fouled out with 18 points, 11 boards and 3 steals - but that defensive-led charge proved to be just the spark the Wildcats needed to hold off a game Mustangs squad who just may get another crack at Neuqua in the playoffs.
"We work on that inbounds press all the time but at the beginning of the year it was not very good," said Amedu, who blocked Bledi Dervishi's 3-point attempt in the waning seconds with the Wildcats ahead 56-53.
Evans, who had a pair of dunks in the first quarter as the Wildcats grabbed a 15-10 lead before getting pushed around by the Mustangs in the second quarter, was surprised at just how well the press work with the team's backs against the wall.
"Coach puts me at the top of the press because of my length, but we definitely got some unexpected results," said Evans, who was not happy to have to sit down the stretch in a tight game. "That's rough for any player to walk away from the game. I'm just ecstatic that the rest of the guys finished things off for us. It gives us a great outlook for the playoffs."
Rahjan Muhammad and Tyler Sutton each hit big 3s in the second half and Amedu finished with 15 points and 7 boards, but it was Kyle Pembrook's second-half play that really provided a boost. After a scoreless first half, he had 7 points in the third quarter including a huge put-back that not only got Neuqua within 39-34, but also knocked Dervishi out of the game for awhile after the 6-foot-6 Mustang had caused all sorts of fits with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the first half.
After sitting several minutes with an ice pack over his eye, Dervishi did return in the fourth quarter to finish with 15 points and 12 boards.
"I'm proud of our guys," DGS coach Jay Baum said. "We beat one of the best teams in the state for 30 of the 32 minutes. We certainly had our chances. It was a great game but we're disappointed."
Guards Otis Wilbut (13) and Jamall Millison (10) each scored in double figures for the Mustangs, who looked like world-beaters while outscoring Neuqua 25-8 in the second quarter. But it was the Wildcats improved defense in the second half that made the difference.
"We knew we couldn't play any worse defense than we did in the second quarter," said Evans. "They definitely pushed us to our limit. But I'm really happy that we made the clutch plays down the stretch."