When Waubonsie Valley last met rival Neuqua Valley at Thanksgiving, sophomore Mason Stewart had a lackluster 10 points in a double-digit defeat.
On Thursday, Stewart was a world-beater, scoring 36 points as the unranked Warriors (14-5, 7-1) stunned No. 8 Neuqua Valley 86-73 to claim sole possession of the Upstate Eight lead.
“It was incredible,” Waubonsie Valley coach Dave Saurbaugh said. “He’s a great offensive talent, but he did it all–he shot the heck out of the ball.”
Stewart’s production came in a variety of ways, including four three-pointers and an 8-of-10 performance from the free-throw line.
He also delivered 12 third-quarter points–including a buzzer-beating drive to the basket–as the Warriors rallied from an 11-point deficit and cut the Wildcats’ lead to 60-59 entering the fourth quarter.
“We were hyped,” said Stewart, who carried a 13.3-point average into the game. “We knew if it was going to be close at the end, we were going to take it. This was a game we felt we had to win.”
Waubonsie Valley senior Sean Blalock, the league’s No. 2 scorer with a 19.3 average, had 26 points and converted a three-point play with 6 minutes 46 seconds left to give the Warriors a 64-62 lead.
The Wildcats stayed close for another four minutes before Waubonsie Valley hit 16-of-18 free throws in the final 2:54.
Neuqua Valley (16-2, 6-1) was paced by Bobby Catchings’ 28 points and six three-pointers. Senior Matt Newquist added 12.
Jack McCarthy.
Hyde Park 68, Dunbar 54
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Stephon Hannah is not a one-man scoring machine for Hyde Park, but he has been known to carry the team offensively.
He did it in December against Julian when he scored nine straight points to help Hyde Park overcome a 17-point deficit for the comeback victory and he did it again Thursday.
Hannah scored Hyde Park’s first 10 points and led the team with 26 points in a 68-54 victory over the Mighty Men in a battle for first place in the Public Red East.
With three conference games remaining, Hyde Park (14-6, 6-1) is two games ahead of second-place Dunbar (11-7, 4-3).
Hyde Park coach Charles Sales, who graduated from the school 11 years ago, doesn’t remember the last time the team won a conference title.
“It’s been a long time, but it’s not over yet,” he said. “I’m proud of my guys. They’re not afraid to play on the road. It doesn’t affect them.”
Hannah started a 7-0 run in the third quarter, which erased a 34-30 deficit to give Hyde Park a three-point lead. Then, in the fourth quarter, he had a steal and layup in a 9-0 run that put Hyde Park ahead 55-47 with 4:57 remaining. Dunbar was outscored 22-9 in the fourth quarter.
Tyrone Kettle scored 13 points for Hyde Park and Terrence Foster led Dunbar with 16 points.
Mike Duffin.
Amundsen 61, Lake View 45: Freddie Jackson scored had 17 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks to lead the Vikings (12-9, 3-4) in the Public Blue North.
Curie 100, Harper 62: Anthony Lewis and Gabriel Taylor scored 13 points apiece for No. 18 Curie (18-5, 7-0) in the Public Red Central. Charles Myles put in 22 points for Harper (10-11, 3-4).
East Aurora 98, Bartlett 66: Travis Brown scored 21 points and made five three-pointers as the Tomcats (14-3, 6-3) rolled in the Upstate Eight. Terry Jeffries had 18 points and Jarrah Price added 16 for East Aurora. Ryan Tuggle’s 16 points led Bartlett (7-13, 4-4).
Lake Park 72, Streamwood 68 (OT): In the Upstate Eight, Anthony Pavone had 20 points and nine rebounds and converted a three-point play early in overtime to put the Lancers (13-5, 5-3) ahead. Ryan Cibulka added 17 points–seven in overtime–and eight rebounds and Andy Mack chipped in 11 points.
Mack’s three-pointer with five seconds left in regulation forced the overtime.
“We seem to be at our best when our backs are against the wall,” Lake Park coach Dan Batka said. “It seems like we had to scratch and claw our way into the basketball game.”
Omar Brown had 17 points to lead Streamwood (5-14, 1-8).
Lane Tech 75, Taft 51: Nate Hudson scored 19 points, while Douglas Johnson and Joshua Somerville added 14 points to lead Lane (16-4, 6-1) in the Public Red North. Daryl Parks’ 16 points led Taft (7-9, 1-6).
St. Charles North 56, St. Charles East 55: JaTony McPherson’s layup at the buzzer gave the edge to the Stars (7-9, 3-5) in the Upstate Eight. Derek Pedersen scored a team-high 17 points for North, which rallied from a nine-point defict with 4:27 remaining with a 15-5 run the rest of the way. Dan Izzo paced East (9-7, 5-2) with 21 points.
South Shore 57, Hirsch 48: Jonathan Phillips’ 13 points and seven rebounds led the Tars (10-6, 6-1) in the Public Blue East.
Girls
Naperville Central 71, Glenbard East 33: Candace Parker had 16 points, 14 rebounds and four steals to lead the top-ranked Redhawks (20-0, 8-0) in the DuPage Valley. Tiffany Hudson added 12 points and six assists for the winners. Brittany Patete had 11 points for Glenbard East (9-10, 2-6).
Sandburg 41, Sandburg 15: Erika Nelson’s 21 points led the No. 19 Eagles (16-7, 7-0) to the SICA West rout.
Crete-Monee 59, Rich East 49: Quintana Ward and Felicia Smith scored 20 and 19 points, respectively, for the Warriors (10-4, 4-2) in the SICA South.
Francis Parker 51, St. Scholastica 32: Uri Hoshino had 13 points and five steals for Parker (13-7).
Hinsdale South 56, Downers Grove North 31: Aubrey Rauktys had 19 points and six rebounds for the Hornets (14-7) in the West Suburban crossover.
Mt. Assisi 59, St. Francis de Sales 51: Colleen Madej scored 18 points for the Eagles (11-9, 4-2) in the GCAC White.
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Resurrection 42, Carmel 39 (OT): Danika Nelson, who had nine points and 11 rebounds, scored on a layup with 30 seconds left in overtime for the Bandits (17-5). Kristi Cirone added 15 points and hit two free throws late in the regulation to force overtime.
Riverside-Brookfield 64, Batavia 53: Maggie McCloskey scored 24 points and tied a school single-game record with seven three-pointers for the Bulldogs (17-1). McCloskey now has 64 three-pointers, setting a single-season school record.
Thornwood 64, Homewood-Flossmoor 50: Sheri Welton netted 19 points for Thornwood (15-5, 4-2) in the SICA East.