Metea Valley runs past Hinsdale Central in second quarter

Metea Valley overcame a sluggish start against Hinsdale Central with increased intensity on defense.

By the second quarter that extra emphasis had paid off.

The Mustangs used a 13-3 second-quarter run to pull away from the visiting Red Devils in a 69-51 nonconference win Tuesday night.

Metea Valley coach Bob Vozza stressed to his team the importance of pressure defense, and the message was heard during the Mustangs' second-quarter run.

"I thought our defensive pressure picked up and we started hitting shots," Vozza said of the second-quarter run. "We started attacking the basket more and getting to the free-throw line in that second quarter."

Leading 18-15 midway through the second quarter, Metea Valley began its run with a 3-pointer by Raysean Parker, who scored 9 of the Mustangs' 13 points during the run and helped give his team a 31-18 halftime lead. He finished with 17 points.

Kenny Obendorf scored Metea Valley's first 6 points of the third quarter and finished with a team-high 18 on the night.

"Everything starts with our defense, and that's what gets our offense going," Obendorf said. "We like to play fast pace. It's just a matter of making good decisions and working for easy baskets."

Hinsdale Central (5-15) tried to muster a comeback in the fourth quarter. Down 51-30 entering the final eight minutes, the Red Devils trimmed the deficit to 12 on two occasions.

"The game was wide open and it lent itself to easy opportunities for both teams," Hinsdale Central coach Nick Latorre said. "I don't think we were prepared to start the game, and that was disappointing. We missed some easy looks inside and that kind of set the tone."

Brad Anlauf finished with 13 fourth-quarter points en route to a game-high 21 for Hinsdale Central.

"We were just trying to push the ball up quicker in the second half because we got down by too many points," Anlauf said. "Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to get the win. It was a little too late."

Metea Valley (13-10) kept the pressure on its opponent for three quarters, but Vozza stressed to his team the need for a better finish next time around.

"That fourth quarter is not what we're about," he said. "They were making one move and getting to the basket. The first three quarters is what we need defensively, but we've got to work on that fourth quarter. We can't have that."