Defense, 3-pointers propel Neuqua V. by Bartlett
Bartlett was well aware of the Neuqua Valley boys basketball team’s reputation for shooting 3-pointers, but the Hawks still couldn’t contain the visiting Wildcats from beyond the 3-point line in the decisive first half of Thursday’s Valley Division matchup in the Upstate Eight.
Neuqua Valley sank 6 of its first 10 attempts from 3-point range, 8 in the first half total, to build a 32-13 halftime lead. The Wildcats then relied on their defense to complete their 50-38 road victory.
“We haven’t been shooting well lately, so we went back to the basics of what we were doing before the break,” said 6-foot-3 senior forward Sam Johnson, who drained a pair of long-range shots in the first half. “It was good to get going in conference play and get our shot back.”
Senior Jim Stocki and junior Tyler Sutton each splashed a 3-pointer in the first half, and senior Ryan McDermott and junior Peter Catchings made two apiece.
“I thought in that first quarter we failed to execute the game plan in any manner, way, shape of form offensively and defensively,” said Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith, whose team trailed 15-2 after eight minutes. “We didn’t close out on their shooters, and we didn’t find men in transition.
“We were leaving men wide open, and I’m not talking about shots with a hand in their face. Most of those threes they hit in the first quarter were five, six, seven feet away before there’s a guy from Bartlett.”
McDermott hit both of his 3-pointers from the same spot on the right wing early in the second quarter, and Catchings followed with another on Neuqua’s ensuing possession.
“It really does feel good,” Catchings said of getting hot as a team. “It makes you feel like you’re unstoppable and it really gives you confidence on offense and defense. It raises our morale all around.”
The 3-point barrage forced Bartlett to take a timeout down 24-4 with 6:01 left in the second quarter.
“I think it was just miscommunication,” Bartlett guard Matt Chaltin said of the Wildcats’ open looks. “I mean, we practiced it all week and practice. I don’t know what it was. The whole first half was not the greatest of our season.
“We never felt like we were out of the game, even when we were down by 20, but when you get down like that against a team like that it’s hard to come back.”
Bartlett (10-13, 0-6) did make a modest comeback, nevertheless, thanks to a 12-0 run to open the fourth quarter fueled by 3-pointers from juniors Jonathan Leigeber and Lorenzo Mitchell. Chaltin (game-high 15 points) trimmed Bartlett’s deficit to 44-34 with 3:41 to play on a baseline jump shot, but the Hawks would draw no closer.
It was a balanced offensive attack for Neuqua Valley, led by Catchings (10 points), senior Alex Karkazis (9), Johnson (8) and sophomore Jabari Sandifer (7), who also finished with 11 rebounds.
The win completed a two-game sweep of the Hawks and kept the Wildcats a game behind East Aurora in the Valley Division standings. The Tomcats remained undefeated in the division after surviving a 1-point overtime affair against South Elgin Thursday.
“We know in conference we have to go 11-1,” coach Todd Sutton said. “‘No slip ups, guys,’ were the last words we said before we came in. We have to go 11-1 with no slip ups. That’s the way it is. Deal with it.”