Neuqua Valley junior forward Nic Lendino was giving up several inches of height to a few of his Oswego East opponents.
But he was determined to stand his ground.
The 6-foot-1 Lendino wasted no time demonstrating that, taking a charge from 6-5 guard Mekhi Lowery just 10 seconds into the Class 4A Oswego Sectional semifinal on Tuesday.
“When that happens on the first play of the game, I think it really set the tone for us,” Lendino said. “I look over to my bench every time, and everyone is jumping up and down screaming.
“That’s our defense. Our defense always gets our team going, gets the energy going, motivates us throughout the rest of the game.”
That energy carried the fourth-seeded Wildcats to a surprisingly strong start. They took a lead into the second quarter before top-seeded Oswego East turned the screws defensively and pulled out a 54-40 victory.
Five players scored for Neuqua Valley (22-11) in the first quarter, which ended with the underdogs leading 13-12. Senior center Cole Vonnahme’s inside basket gave the Wildcats a 15-14 lead at the 6:30 mark of the second quarter, but they went scoreless the rest of the half.
The Wolves (33-1) went on a 14-0 run to take a 28-15 lead before Vonnahme scored to break a 6:52 scoreless drought early in the third quarter. The Wildcats didn’t get closer than eight points after that.
Neuqua Valley coach Todd Sutton said the second quarter, in which his team made 1 of 12 shots and was outscored 14-2, was the difference.
“That second quarter was rough,” Sutton said. “The doors blew off on that. We couldn’t score, but give them all the credit. That’s why they’re 33-1.”
The Wildcats, who shot 15 of 53 and committed 20 turnovers, couldn’t score in part because the Wolves blocked 12 shots. Lowery had six blocks to go with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while 6-5 senior forward Patrick Robinson, a Missouri-St. Louis recruit, had four blocks.
“In 36 years, I have not seen that,” Sutton said. “We needed those layups. You’re taking points off our board, and they’re legit blocks.”
Lendino, who had four points, three offensive rebounds and two steals, concurred.
“It definitely made a difference,” Lendino said. “You could have blamed it on us being unable to finish better around the rim, not just them blocking the shots.
“So it goes both ways. It’s something we wish we could have got back.”
The Wildcats did make a valiant comeback behind sophomore guard Luke Kinkade, who scored 12 of his game-high 15 points in the second half. He made four 3-pointers, including one from the left corner off a pass from senior guard Jayden Dean that cut the gap to 44-36 with 4:31 left in the fourth quarter.
But Oswego East answered with a 7-0 run.
“Luke is a phenomenal shooter,” Lendino said. “I’ve played with him since middle school and have seen him develop.
“He’s always been a shooter, but seeing him this year has been absurd. He’s very fun to watch.”
Lendino and Kinkade are among five rotation players who will be back.
“We learned a lot from this game,” Lendino said. “We’re the youngest team in Neuqua history, so everyone is going to remember this pain when they come back next year. We’re going to learn from it, build on it next year and be right back.”
Despite how it ended, Kinkade enjoyed his first sectional experience.
“It was fun,” Kinkade said. “It was like a test almost with all the nerves and all the people there. I think we’re just going to get better next year.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.