West Chicago defeats Metea Valley in semifinal
Both the Metea Valley and West Chicago Valley girls basketball teams went into Thursday night’s first semifinal at the Oswego East Winter Classic each having beaten their first two opponents by comfortable margins.
With a spot in tonight’s championship final on the line, neither team was in the mood to give an inch, and in a physical contest, both teams stayed on each others heels until the Wildcats pulled away late for a 53-40 victory.
West Chicago (9-4) faces South Elgin at 6:30 p.m. for the tournament title. Metea Valley (6-8) faces off against Aurora Central Catholic at 5 p.m. for third place.
The Wildcats get another shot at the championship after finishing second in 2010 to Andrew.
“That was in the back of our minds, all the seniors,” said Allie Tapanes, one of three Wildcats scoring in double digits with 13 points. “We want to accomplish a lot, and this is on our list.”
However, the image of West Chicago playing in the title game was certainly blurry in the first half. The Mustangs came out with a hot hand, shooting 8 of 12 from the field in the first eight minutes with the Wildcats at 4 of 12 after making some baskets late in the quarter. Metea led at the end of it 17-11.
The two teams went into the deep freeze in the second quarter, going a combined 3 of 36, with Metea still leading at halftime 24-21.
When TeSaeandra Parker sank two free throws with 4:14 left in the third, the Mustangs were up 33-25. Then the tide turned.
West Chicago closed out the quarter on an 11-0 run capped by Claire Monroe’s 3-point basket with just three seconds remaining for a 36-33 advantage. Monroe and teammate Laura Panicali each hit for 14 points.
It was pretty much all Wildcats in the final quarter as they outscored the Mustangs 17-7, reaching a double-digit lead with less than 1:30 to play.
West Chicago coach Kim Wallner said with her team, like all the other tournament squads playing its third game in as many nights, adjustments at halftime were needed if the Wildcats wanted a shot at the Mustangs.
“We were in a 2-3 zone mostly the whole second half. With (Metea’s) size, we had started out in a man-to-man. I thought we showed more patience on offense in the second half and made them (Metea) played defense for more than one or two passes,” she said. “I’m happy with the way the kids responded in the second half.”
Metea was led by Bria Walker’s game-high 15 points and Lori Obendorf’s 10 points and 11 rebounds. But the Mustangs’ 16 turnovers helped bring them down, and that’s what coach Kris Kalivas said to her team after the game.
“Take care of the basketball,” she said when asked what lesson she wanted her team to learn: “We’re looking for young kids to step up. We need players to take care of the ball on the court. (West Chicago) sat back in a zone and we still threw the ball away.”
Senior Amira Turner scored just 3 points but played a strong, physical game, taking a beating near and underneath the basket.
“She plays hard. I wish the team would follow that lead,” Kalivas said.