Boys basketball: Neuqua Valley denies Waubonsie Valley’s comeback bid

With Neuqua Valley holding a 30-19 halftime lead over rival Waubonsie Valley in Friday’s DuPage Valley Conference game in Naperville, the outcome already appeared to be decided.

The Warriors kept the pressure on though, cutting the deficit to four multiple times in the third quarter and giving their fans who made the trip something to cheer about.

Although a Terell Horton Jr. basket made it a two-point game early in the fourth, the Wildcats never let their lead slip further and pulled away late for a 53-44 victory.

“We had an 11-point going into (halftime),” said Wildcats standout Cole Kelly. “They cut it to four really quick, and they're a good team, and they wanna beat us, and everyone's gonna give us their best shot. So just continuing to stay to ourselves and stay calm is the biggest thing.”

Neuqua Valley (25-1, 8-0) saw all of its starters score in the fourth and got clutch shots from role players down the stretch.

Reserve Arshil Khimani made his second 3-pointer of the game, and Luke Balgro got his only field goal, giving the Wildcats the breathing room they needed to close out the win.

Of course, it was the usual suspects who did the most damage for Neuqua Valley. Kelly achieved a double-double of 17 points (eight in the first quarter) and 12 rebounds, and Mason Martin scored 14 points while also being one of four other Wildcats with at least three boards.

“They're the best scoring duo in the state,” said Neuqua Valley assistant coach Tyler Sutton. “That's just plain and simple. Those two know how to put the ball in the hole. They're unique scorers. They can score in many different ways, and that's been the whole year. They're gonna score the majority of our points.”

Speaking of the usual suspects, Kris Mporokoso was just that for Waubonsie Valley (15-9, 4-4) in every possible way. Despite having his finger in a splinter from a torn ligament for the rest of the season, he finished with a line of 11 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals.

“I just try my best to help the team get the job done, get the win,” Mporokoso said. “I could have rebounded way more, scored the ball way more, hit some crucial free throws to help the team.”

Aidan Lee scored nine of his 11 points on three 3-pointers over the final three quarters. Kyler Payne had all eight of his points in the third quarter, including two early 3s that sparked the Warriors’ comeback, and also had six boards and three assists.

The Warriors took control early with a pair of 3s from Mporokoso and Tate Bartzen, but Kelly and the Wildcats quickly took it away and never completely gave it up.

“If we fix a few things, and we play with that type of grit, there's nobody in our way that we can't at least compete with,” said Waubonsie Valley coach Andrew Schweitzer.