Neuqua Valley hangs on for win
Just when it seemed top-seeded Neuqua Valley was about to apply the finishing touches on a regional championship game victory over Minooka, the underdog Indians found a spark, which became an inferno that nearly engulfed the Wildcats' victory plans.
Down 30-14 late in the second quarter, Minooka rallied to close to within 2 points twice before Neuqua Valley recovered to claim a 41-33 win and to take the Class 4A Joliet West regional title.
The Wildcats (26-4) advance to Tuesday's Bolingbrook sectional semifinal, where they meet Providence Catholic at 7 p.m. The host Raiders and Plainfield East play on Wednesday in the other semifinal. The regional title is Neuqua Valley's ninth this century, first since 2013.
"Minooka played phenomenal defense and made everything we did difficult," Neuqua Valley coach Todd Sutton said. "We waited until it got to 2 points and then we were calm. But from 15 to a 2-point lead - total chaos."
The contest was in doubt until the final half-minute, which hardly seemed as if it would be the case once Neuqua Valley found its offensive touch midway through the first quarter. The Wildcats shut out Minooka (15-16) in the second quarter and stretched their lead to 17-6 early in the second half before Joe Butler hit a layup to break the drought.
Still, the Wildcats pushed the lead to 30-11 with less than two minutes to go in the third quarter before Minooka's offense found its stride. When they did, Butler was the key. He scored 11 points in the fourth quarter and 15 of his game-high 17 points in the second half. He nailed a pair of free throws with 1:04 remaining to cut the lead to 35-33.
"We knew they were going to have to start scoring at some point," Neuqua Valley senior Connor Raridon said. "They did and we just had to weather the storm, and get key stops, which we got at the end."
From that point Neuqua Valley played composed basketball. Demond George hit a driving layup. After an offensive foul George hit a pair of free throws. Raridon closed the game with two more free throws.
Raridon led the Wildcats with 14 points.
"Every regional championship, for the most part, isn't going to be easy," Raridon said. "There's going to be runs. They made runs and we made runs, and we stuck with it in the end and came out with the win.
George added 10 points while Zach Lendino scored all 9 of his points in the second half.
"We were under pressure when it was a one-possesssion game," Lendino said. "With the crowd and with them pressing us fullcourt, but we took care of the ball, made good passes and took care of the game."