Sutton lifts Neuqua Valley past South Elgin
South Elgin's eight 3-pointers weren't enough to topple host Neuqua Valley on Friday night in Naperville.
Senior Tyler Sutton scored 16 points and the Wildcats scorched South Elgin early, using a 13-3 run in the first half to power their way past the Storm 59-52 in Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division action.
"Tyler had a really good first half," Neuqua coach Todd Sutton said. "The defense slowed him down in the second half a little bit. But the guys picked up the pace when Tyler was cooled down."
South Elgin and Neuqua were deadlocked at 9 before Neuqua rolled with its offensive spark. Junior Darien Miskel and sophomore Elijah Robertson dropped in buckets, and Sutton drilled a 3 as the buzzer sounded, giving the Wildcats a 17-9 cushion heading into the second quarter.
Sutton picked up where he left off, matching a 3 after South Elgin senior Willy Gagic drilled one to open the quarter. Miskel, junior Jabari Sandifer and Robinson all scored as Neuqua (17-10, 7-5) stretched its lead to 27-12. Sandifer swished all 3 free throws after being fouled outside the arc, while junior Ian Welsh followed with a layup. South Elgin finally answered with a bucket from junior Jacob Maestranzi, and both teams traded baskets to close the quarter as Neuqua enjoyed a 33-22 advantage at the half. South Elgin coach Chaz Taft thought Neuqua's size gave the Storm fits in the first half.
"We gave up a lot of offensive rebounds tonight, and that kind of hurt us," Taft said. "We tried to talk to our guys about boxing out, and it was one of our major concerns coming in tonight. You have to get the ball if it hits the rim."
The third quarter was a sharp contrast, with both teams combining to only score 13 points. Neuqua reeled off a 6-0 run to open the second half, but South Elgin (10-14, 3-9) closed the gap near as the quarter ended.
"We had a chance to tighten up defensively," Taft said. "We weren't making shots in the first half, and then coming down the stretch we made more shots, but we didn't make enough."
"We had a tough time guarding them," Sutton said. "They were making some good plays and scoring. We got a little slowed down there in the third quarter."
The Storm shot better in the fourth quarter and outscored the Wildcats 25-18. But foul trouble and excellent Wildcats free-throw shooting doomed the Storm. The Wildcats shot 86 percent from the line and used it to put the finishing touches on their victory.