Amedu helps Neuqua get by Streamwood

On a night when its most prolific offensive player was saddled with foul trouble, Neuqua Valley senior Kareem Amedu helped pick up the pieces - along with several offensive rebounds.

Amedu, a 6-foot-5 senior center, tallied a season-high 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lift the Wildcats (7-0, 2-0) to a 71-57 Upstate Eight Conference boys basketball victory over host Streamwood (3-6, 1-2) Friday night.

The Wildcats' big man was a model of consistency throughout, scoring 11 first-half points before combining with reserve forward Kyle Pembrook (11 points) for 12 points during Neuqua Valley's 20-10 third-quarter run that extended the lead to 52-41.

"He really carried us early with his offensive boards and putbacks," said Neuqua Valley coach Todd Sutton. "He's a monster inside and tonight he was outstanding."

While the Wildcats' leading scorer on the season, Dwayne Evans, was limited to 9 points before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter, Amedu, Pembrook and Rahjan Muhammad (16 points) stepped up.

"Tonight, Dwayne was not on his game but it was Kareem's night," said Sutton.

Streamwood, which shot 64 percent (7-for-11) in the first quarter, received a boost from its bench in the opening half after Derrick King and Marcus Greene (16 points) each picked up a pair of early fouls.

Reserves Robert Siwek, D.J. Mustari and Adam Acevedo combined for 14 first-half points to keep the game close as the Sabres trailed just 32-31 at the intermission.

"We broke down on defense and I thought Streamwood was setting excellent screens," said Sutton. "They picked us apart and we were a little flat-footed and didn't help as much as we should.

"In the second half, our defense picked it up a couple notches and our intensity was a little better."

Streamwood's last lead (38-36) came with 6:33 left in the third quarter on Greene's 15-foot jumper. Less than a minute later, the Sabres' senior forward was whistled for his fourth foul and Derrick King also committed his fourth foul 3 minutes later.

That forced the Sabres to switch from a man-to-man to a 2-3 zone defense which Neuqua began to exploit during its 11-1 run over the final 3:18 of the third quarter.

"For three quarters, we hung in tough," said Sabres coach Tim Jones. "We did a decent job in the zone for a while but when you get in foul trouble and you're asking other guys to stop Amedu, Evans, Pembrook and Muhammad, it kind of got a little bit overwhelming for them (reserves)."

Neuqua Valley earned a 42-27 rebounding edge, with 6 of Amedu's 10 field goals coming on putbacks.

"That killed us," Jones said of the Wildcats' offensive rebounding. "It was a big key."

Amedu was just happy to contribute.

"They were playing a 2-3 zone and they got out of position a couple times," said Amedu. "I came down with the boards and went up strong. "It was my turn to step up and I'm glad I did."

Marcus Lewis chipped in with 16 points for Streamwood, which faces St. Viator Monday at the Wheeling Hardwood Classic.