Metea Valley hits century mark

Triple digits on the scoreboard and undefeated in the standings. Not a bad night for Metea Valley.

Senior Ryan Solomon had 22 points and scored the 100th point for the Mustangs in a 100-79 victory over Eisenhower at the Hinsdale South Holiday Tournament Tuesday night. The win was the 10th of the season for the Mustangs and keeps them undefeated for another night.

"We have a great team and good chemistry coming into this year," Solomon said. "It's nice to be 10-0. Hopefully, we can leave this tournament undefeated, too."

"We're 10-0 because of our senior leadership," Metea coach Bob Vozza said. "We're following their lead, and it's a great start."

In a game that featured quick transitions, the Mustangs jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first minute of the contest. Eight of the first 10 baskets were off fastbreaks, and senior Kenny Obendorf scored 10 of his 25 points in the first quarter. Obendorf closed the quarter on an inbounds pass lobbed from the Mustangs baseline. Obendorf snared it, turned and dropped in a quick shot, giving Metea a 22-11 advantage as time expired.

The second quarter saw much of the same up-tempo action as the first. Metea once again relied on the transition game to pace its scoring. The Mustangs scored 10 points off turnovers and ended the quarter with junior LaShawn Cargo's pair of free throws. Metea took a 52-36 lead into the half.

"It's tough to prepare for a team like that," Vozza said. "They're very good in the defensive end."

In the third, Metea continued to punish Eisenhower for defensive lapses. Cargo started the scoring with a 3 from the right corner, handing the Mustangs a 55-36 advantage. Cargo, Solomon and Davis paced the scoring with six uncontested layups combined. Eisenhower stayed in the contest, riding junior Tyrone Terrell's four 3-pointers in the quarter. Regardless of the hot shooting, Eisenhower still trailed 76-61 at the start of the fourth quarter.

Eisenhower pulled within 9 midway through the fourth quarter but could not stop the Mustangs' quickness. Obendorf put up 6 in the quarter and Solomon scored 8, including the final bucket that gave Metea Valley 100 points for the night.

"I've only been on one team that ever scored 100 points," Solomon said. "I've never actually scored that point, but it was very exciting."