Waubonsie regains control to beat Neuqua
Add another crazy chapter to the Waubonsie Valley-Neuqua Valley boys basketball rivalry.
Waubonsie Valley led by 19 points early in the second quarter and by 14 at halftime. The Warriors still needed to surmount adversity to win Saturday's Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division game 56-52 on the road in south Naperville.
Warriors coach Steve Weemer drew two technical fouls and with it an ejection during Neuqua's inevitable third-quarter run. Assistant David Owles assumed control.
"He said, it's a team sport and we all need to play defense to win the game," said Waubonsie's Brandon Malby. "And we were going to win it whether or not we liked it."
It was love, not like, after Owles' first varsity victory.
"I have a great staff all throughout our whole program," Weemer said. "We're a close-knit group. I have all the confidence in the world in them, and they just did a phenomenal job."
Weemer said he probably was never prouder of any team he'd coached. Waubonsie improved to 13-11 all-time against the Wildcats and broke a four-game losing streak against them.
Waubonsie Valley (13-6, 3-2) overcame a 40-36 deficit after three quarters and a 50-44 hole with 4:31 to play.
Malby, Nick Lisauskas, Austin Keys, Xavier Biles and Jakobi Johnson combined for 10 offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter, which fueled a 12-2 closing run.
Johnson scored the game-winner on a lay-in off a Keys feed with 1:25 left to play.
"They had a pretty good streak going. It feels good to break it," said Johnson, whose older brother Jelani's last-second jumper gave Waubonsie its last win over the Wildcats in January 2008.
Neuqua (18-4, 6-2) turned the ball over on an offensive foul, and Waubonsie's Jared Brownridge penetrated and passed to Malby for a 55-52 cushion.
It didn't seem the Warriors would need cushion. In the first quarter Brownridge made four 3-pointers for 12 of his 16 points, tying Johnson for game honors. Keys scored 6 of his 13 in a first quarter Waubonsie led 25-10.
"We knew they were going to come in with a chip on their shoulder after beating them in their place," said Neuqua's Sam Johnson, who scored 10 points to teammate Jim Stocki's 15. "We should have came out with more energy in the first quarter. They beat us up that first quarter. It cost us the game."
The Wildcats nearly repaid the favor, outscoring Waubonsie 22-4 in the third. Stocki twice converted natural three-point plays, the second of which gained Neuqua its first lead, 35-34.
"I just wanted to go slow and methodical, not panic. And we did exactly that," Wildcats coach Todd Sutton said.
Waubonsie could have panicked after losing a big lead, plus its head coach.
"Today we were able to find a way to win," Lisauskas said. "That's definitely the biggest way that we've grown. We weren't going to give up today."