Waubonsie tops S. Elgin for consolation title
Waubonsie Valley’s 47-36 victory over South Elgin in Friday’s consolation championship game at the 38th Jack Tosh Holiday Classic in Elmhurst was a matter of talent over scheme.
South Elgin (7-7) dictated its usual deliberate tempo for most of the first half. The Storm passed the ball around the perimeter until a good shot arose, they drew fouls and played their usual brand of stifling defense in building a 10-point lead.
Or as Waubonsie Valley coach Steve Weemer aptly put it: “It’s like they stab that butter knife right in your side.”
The turning point came midway through the second quarter. After Eric Stazy and Darius Wells drained 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to extend the South Elgin lead to 22-12, Weemer scrapped the nice-guy routine and let his team have it as they approached the sideline for a timeout.
“You’re getting killed!” Weemer bellowed, his voice audible throughout the relatively quiet gymnasium. “Do you want to play or not?”
Jared Brownridge clearly did.
The 6-foot-2 junior scored 8 of the Warriors’ 9 points during the subsequent run that drew Waubonsie Valley within a point.
Brownridge’s roll did not slow in the third quarter. He scored 7 of Waubonsie Valley’s 12 points in the period, and his 2 assists to senior Josh DeHaan set up a pair of jump shots, including a DeHaan 3-pointer that staked the Warriors to a 35-28 lead.
“I knew I’d either have to take over or it would be a close game down the stretch,” Brownridge said. “I wanted to make it easier on the team. And I knew my teammate Josh was open in the corner. I always try to get him a good shot, and that got us going.”
Brownridge finished with 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting. He grabbed 7 rebounds.
“He’s a special kid,” Weemer said. “He knows when he’s got the hot hand and when to take over like that. We did some things to do that with him today. Our guys understand that.
“And if they run at him, he knows to dish, too. He’s a special player. He’s a fun kid to coach, and he can make us look good when he’s hitting shots.”
Brownridge’s second-quarter scoring spree coincided with South Elgin guard Jake Maestranzi’s absence due to foul trouble. Saddled with 3 fouls, Maestranzi could only watch as his summer AAU
teammate gnawed at the Storm lead.
“We let them come back right before the half,” Maestranzi said. “We had the lead. We should have stopped that before it happened.”
The scenario persisted in the third quarter when Maestranzi picked up his fourth foul with 6:12 left and sat for the remainder of the period.
”We had to switch someone else on (Brownridge) and it didn’t work out,” South Elgin coach Chaz Taft pointed out.
It was the second time this season the Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division foes have met. Waubonsie Valley won the first meeting in Aurora on Dec. 2, 45-42. The teams meet for a third time on Jan. 20 in South Elgin.
Other than his team’s 17 turnovers against the Warriors in the tournament finale, Taft said he was relatively pleased with his team’s 2-2 showing at York.
“We’re starting to find guys in the rotation now starting to step up and make plays and contribute in different ways to help this team win,” Taft said.