Waubonsie comeback hands Neuqua first defeat

Walking out of the Waubonsie Valley locker room wearing black-framed glasses, Rachael Ross could have passed for a school teacher.

Teammate Becky Williford talked in a cerebral tone.

On the court Tuesday the Warriors gave a lesson in composure.

Down 11 just before halftime, No. 4 Waubonsie schooled No. 5 and unbeaten Neuqua in the second half for a 55-45 win in Naperville.

"We are the older team, and we have a lot more experience than they do," said Ross, one of three Waubonsie junior starters. "We didn't take them lightly at all. We just had to keep our composure and keep playing hard."

Williford scored 9 of her 13 points in the third quarter to go with 7 assists and 7 rebounds. Williford's two free throws with 20.9 seconds left in the first half pulled Waubonsie within 26-20 at the half. The 5-foot-3 junior point guard was unstoppable after the break, beating Neuqua with an array of runners, drives and fastbreak baskets.

Her feed to Ross in transition with 1:03 left in the third quarter gave Waubonsie a 35-33 lead, its first since the first quarter.

"We were kind of slow starting off at the beginning, we weren't attacking at all," Williford said, "and their zone was very wide. We knew that if we attacked the middle it would open up opportunities for us."

"She's a heck of a player," Waubonsie coach Kim Connell said. "She's our floor general out there."

A Williford runner pushed the Warriors ahead 37-33, but Neuqua's Megan Doody answered with a long 3-pointer for a 1-point game after three quarters.

Neuqua never got closer. Wildcats leading scorer Doody had 12 points but only got off one shot in the fourth quarter before fouling out.

Alexa Wilde had 10 points and 11 rebounds for Neuqua (6-1, 2-1 Upstate Eight Valley). Twins Najee and Malia Smith, two of Neuqua's six freshmen, added 8 and 7 points, respectively.

Doody's three-point play with 1:01 left in the first half had given Neuqua its biggest lead, 26-15.

"It's OK to lose a game," Neuqua coach Mike Williams said. "We're 6-1 and we played a good team. We'll take what we have right now. We never stopped playing. The final score was not indicative of what the game was like."

Ross, who didn't even attempt a shot in the first half, scored 12 after the break to go with 7 rebounds. She even showcased a pair of impressive jump hooks back to her right in the fourth quarter.

"I had to recognize what they were taking away from me," Ross said, "and adapt to what they were giving me."

Tanysha Walls-Gardner had 15 points and Tami Morice 10 for Waubonsie (9-1, 2-1). The Warriors also effectively kept Neuqua off the offensive glass in the second half, and went 13 of 17 at the free throw line to put the game away.

"We had a poor first half, poor defense, they outworked us and they outhustled us," Connell said. "We told them at halftime if anything is going to be the difference it's our experience. Chip away at their lead, and it's going to come down to patience and experience playing against a bunch of freshmen. It came down to our composure."