Cargo’s clutch as Metea Valley tops Plainfield South
LaShawn Cargo knows his role for Metea Valley.
The Mustangs’ seventh man provides instant offense off the bench, and his back-to-back 3-pointers late in the third quarter spearheaded an 11-point unanswered run by Metea Valley that enabled the squad to down Plainfield South 69-64 in first-round action of the Joliet West Thanksgiving Classic.
“I just try to come in and play my best,” Cargo said after draining four 3-pointers to finish as the Mustangs’ second-leading scorer with 14 points in the boys basketball season opener for both teams. “All I wanted to do was to get the win at the end of the day.”
Cargo drained consecutive jumpers from beyond the arc to snap the last of five ties at 39-39.
Sean Davis’ 3-point attempt also found the desired location to extend the Mustangs’ lead to 48-39, and Raysean Parker nearly made it four straight 3-point possession but his free-throw attempt on his 3-point play opportunity missed the mark.
The Mustangs’ 11-0 run was essentially the difference in the game as the second-year varsity program held off the Cougars, despite an 18-for-35 performance at the free throw line.
“That was tough to come back from,” Plainfield South coach Ken Bublitz said of the Mustangs’ unanswered blitz in less than 90 seconds. “(Cargo) was in rhythm and knocked them down.”
“We have the ability to do that offensively,” Metea Valley coach Bob Vozza said of scoring in bunches. “If we had made our free throws late in the third quarter and early in the fourth, the game wouldn’t have been as close. We let them hang around.”
With eight of nine players who saw action scoring for Metea Valley (1-0), the Mustangs’ combination of balance and depth was necessary to counteract the play of the Plainfield South trio of Edvinas Presniakovas, William Nixon and Kevin Coker.
Presniakovas’ 23 points led all scorers, while Nixon was an imposing figure in the paint with his 17 points and 7 rebounds.
But Metea Valley played progressively better, especially offensively, as the game reached its conclusion.
The Mustangs’ 11-point first-quarter output was primary the result of 7 turnovers; Metea Valley only had eight miscues the remainder of the game.
Doubling its scoring output in the second quarter, the Mustangs took a 33-27 lead into halftime when Kenny Obendorf, who led Metea Valley with 16 points, beat the second-quarter buzzer with a 3-pointer.
The senior guard was then instrumental in the fourth quarter, scoring all 8 of his second-half points to preserve the Mustangs’ lead.
“We have a lot of improving to do,” Obendorf said. “It’s good to get that first win.”
Milan Bojanic was the third Mustang in double digits with 12 points; Davis added 9 points off the bench, and Soloman had 7.
Coker scored 11 points for Plainfield South (0-1).