Metea Valley guard Holden Rank saved his most important shot for the final seconds against Waubonsie Valley on Friday night in Aurora.
Rank took a pass from Ethan Helwig and sank a jumper with 10 seconds left as the Mustangs edged the Warriors 53-50 in DuPage Valley play.
Rank’s shot was part of a 10-0 run that overcame a seven-point deficit.
“The last play, we executed it perfectly, and it just worked out that I went up to the elbow and made a good shot and it just went in,” said Rank, who scored 14 points.
“We had enough time to come back and we all believed in each other and had a team effort to come back and we made it happen.”
Helwig, who led the Mustangs with 16 points, capped the victory by making a pair of free throws with 5.8 seconds to play.
“Holden is one of those guys, he’s got a stroke and it’s fun to watch him shoot,” Metea Valley coach Matt Walpole said. “He did a nice job of rolling off the screen. He set a screen for the first option, and we told him if they double down you’re coming right to the elbow and that’s where we’re going to hit you. He did it perfectly and he was ready to shoot.”
Metea Valley (6-7, 2-3) led 38-26 with 4:15 left in the third quarter, before enduring a scoring drought that lasted 8:37. A layup by Manny Hess at 3:38 of the fourth got the Mustangs rolling again, pulling them to within 45-40.
More Top Picks Sony Srs Xb21
Eric Cannon, the game’s top scorer with 23 points, led the Warriors (6-7, 2-3) during a 19-0 run, scoring 14 points to give Waubonsie Valley a 45-38 advantage. Cannon made 6 of 9 3-point attempts in the game.
Brad Hartje’s 3-point play for Metea Valley made it 50-49 with :33 left before Rank’s shot gave the Mustangs the lead for good at 51-50. The Warriors were hurt by four turnovers in the final two minutes.
“The big thing was we gave them what they wanted in the last minute and a half and we turned the ball over in the last minute and a half,” Waubonsie Valley coach Jason Mead said. “That’s really what cost us the game, and it was very, very disappointing.”
The Mustangs led 29-21 at halftime, thanks to 12 points each from Helwig and Rank. Then came Waubonsie’s spurt.
“Every play matters,” Walpole said. “If you’ve got a team down, you’ve got to keep them down. I was proud of the way they responded.”
Bob Hurst is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.