Waubonsie Valley edges Downers Grove North to reach tournament championship game
One step closer.
Looking to claim the Bill Neibch Holiday Girls Basketball Tournament title for the first time since 2011, second-seeded Waubonsie Valley first had to get past a solid Downers Grove North team Thursday night at Wheaton North.
The Warriors did just that, starting fast from the perimeter and then putting together a solid defensive effort while holding off the No. 3 Trojans 48-42 to advance to Friday night’s championship.
“We really picked up our defense today and we came out with a lot of energy,” said Danyella Mporokoso, who led all scorers with 19 points in the game. “We lost last year in this game [the semifinals] and one of our team goals is to win this tournament this year.”
The Warriors (16-1) will have a tough test in the finals against top-seeded Schaumburg.
“We want to progress from what we did last year, so it’s nice to win today and we now have a great opportunity,” Warriors coach Brett Love said. “We put a lot work and emphasis on defense and we didn’t play the best defense the last couple of games. It was nice to come out and play more like the defense we’re used to playing.”
Waubonsie Valley’s offense wasn’t too shabby either, especially early on.
In the first half the Warriors wasted little time getting their outside attack going. Sophomore Arianna Garcia knocked down a 3-pointer off the opening tip and three other Warriors hit from beyond the arc in the opening quarter as Waubonsie Valley took a 16-10 lead into the second quarter.
As a team, the Warriors made seven 3s in the first half with Lily Newton and Maya Cobb each with a pair of long-range buckets as the team led the Trojans 29-22 at halftime. Newton added another 3 to open the fourth quarter that put her team up 42-29, then sparked the defense as the Trojans attempted a comeback in the final minutes.
Newton had 6 rebounds in the fourth quarter and sealed the win by taking a charge with 9.3 seconds left and the Warriors up by 6.
“We battled a little too little too late,” said Downers Grove North coach Stephan Bolt, whose 14-3 team will play for third place at 6 p.m. Friday. “They came out on fire and I was actually proud of the way we didn’t let it get away from us.”
Kaitlyn Parker had a strong first half with 9 points and 5 rebounds as the Trojans stayed close, trailing 29-22 at the half. She finished with 14 points and 9 rebounds and teammate Hope Sebek joined her in double figures with 12 points. Freshman Campbell Thulin continued her strong tournament play with 6 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals.
In consolation bracket action Thursday, Wheaton North defeated Glenbard South 62-47 and Hinsdale Central knocked off Palatine 52-47. The Falcons and Red Devils will play for fifth place at 4:30 p.m. Friday.