Neuqua wins tourney
Like every basketball coach, Mike Williams braces every year for the post-Thanksgiving hoops hangover.
"You always take your chances on Thanksgiving and holidays," the Neuqua Valley coach said. "You got to give them time with family; you don't want to run them to death and try to practice. We told them, 'Take the day off, next day we'll come in and shoot for 30 minutes.' It's a turkey day. Anything can happen."
Sure enough, Williams' Wildcats shook off a slow start and cold shooting Friday to beat Hinsdale South 49-36 and win the Hinsdale South Tip-Off Tournament in Darien.
Williams estimated it's been "at least seven years" since Neuqua won the tournament. A 4-0 start isn't bad for a team that won just 10 games last year and plays six freshmen.
"I'm happy where we are. We're in a good place right now," Williams said. "Even in our state years we didn't win this thing we couldn't beat Hinsdale Central. I'm excited where we are."
Megan Doody and freshman Malia Smith each scored 12 points for Neuqua.
"Nobody expected us to win this tournament," Smith said. "We're a big surprise. I think other teams are going to watch out for us."
Hinsdale South jumped out to a quick 11-2 lead on Neuqua. Hornets 6-foot center Uzo Okoro muscled in four early baskets. But Okoro picked up her second foul with 3:32 left in the first quarter and sat until near halftime.
Hinsdale South (2-2) wasn't the same without Okoro, who finished with 11 points and 4 rebounds.
"We had a game plan in place," Hornets coach Jen Belmonte said, "and it was working great. We got in foul trouble. You lose your point guard (Toni Romiti) and your center, it takes your game plan away."
Neuqua Valley shot just 4 of 19 in the first quarter but gradually inched closer. The Wildcats trailed 15-11 after a quarter and took their first lead at 21-19 with 1:40 left in the half on an Allison Hendrick score off a Hornets turnover.
Two Hendrick free throws gave Neuqua back the lead with a minute left, and a Doody 3-pointer in the final seconds of the half sent the Wildcats into the break up 26-22.
Neuqua pulled away in the third quarter. An Alexa Wilde three-point play made it 37-26. Wilde finished with 9 points and 10 rebounds. Neuqua as a team was again strong on the boards, outrebounding Hinsdale South 34-25 with 17 offensive rebounds. Amber Smith added 6 rebounds.
"Amber had her best night tonight with the rebounds. She did a phenomenal job," Williams said. "Alexa Wilde's been steady throughout the whole tournament."
Andrea McNally had 6 points on a pair of 3-pointers for Hinsdale South, which shot 4 of 18 from beyond the arc.
"We just couldn't hit anything," Belmonte said. "We're getting into lulls shooting. We're shooting good in practices, but we're not hitting them in games."