Waubonsie Valley bounces back for win

Waubonsie Valley did not have time to sulk about its disappointing loss to Bartlett because the Warriors were back at it against District 204 foe Metea Valley.

The Warriors started fast and never trailed in a 47-37 home Upstate Eight Valley victory against the Mustangs on Thursday night in Aurora.

Waubonsie (8-1, 3-1) blitzed Metea with a 13-0 scoring spurt from the opening tip. The Mustangs had four turnovers and five missed shots before Lori Obendorf's basket and free throw made it 13-3 midway through the first quarter.

"It felt good especially after the other night," said Waubonsie's Tami Morice referring to Tuesday's 18-point loss at Bartlett. "We were just pumped up and we knew what we had to do and we got it done."

The Warriors' lead swelled to 31-12 midway through the second quarter. Waubonsie's defense and aggressive play appeared to bother Metea from the onset.

"We all worked hard on the defensive end," Morice said. "It is stressful when you fall behind (like Metea did). We were in that position the other night and we knew we couldn't have another game like that, so we just put (Bartlett) out of our minds."

The Mustangs (4-7, 2-3) did outscore their conference counterparts 30-25 during the final three quarters, but Metea never really mounted a threat against Waubonsie as the Warriors maintained their double-digit lead throughout.

"Take away that first quarter and it is a different game," Metea coach Kris Kalivas said. "You can't spot a team like Waubonsie 22 points in the first quarter. We didn't come out ready to play. I'm not sure why that was, but we definitely came out flat and we didn't execute anything we talked about in practice for the week and that is what is most frustrating about it."

Waubonsie coach Kim Connell would have preferred if the Warriors had put the Mustangs away, but it just didn't happen.

"It was a great first half," Connell said. "I was really proud of the way we bounced back from our tough loss against Bartlett. The only thing we need to work on is what we say is putting the hammer down it is just a matter of finishing."

Morice and teammate Gratia Brooks each had 15 points, while Rachael Ross chipped in 9 points to lead the Warriors. Obendorf led the Mustangs with 8 points, with Bria Walker and Megan Geldernick each adding 7 points apiece.