Lincoln-Way West gets past Metea Valley

Lincoln-Way West squandered an 11-point halftime lead and held off a fourth-quarter rally by Metea Valley for a 37-30 victory Monday in Martin Luther King Day of Hoops at Joliet West.

"We were in control. They got a couple of fast breaks and we had to get it back together,'' said Lincoln-Way West forward Samantha Villa, who led the Warriors with 14 points and seven rebounds.

West (15-3) was ahead 29-22 going into the fourth quarter before Metea Valley closed the gap to 29-28 with 4:12 to play.

"It seemed like a typical Monday afternoon game, we were out of routine,'' said West coach Ryan White. "We're very routine-oriented. Luckily we did what we had to do.''

A layup by Alyssa Capecci gave West a 31-28 lead with 3:25 left, the Warriors' first points of the final quarter. Free throws by Villa and guard Sara Losacco (12 points) made it 33-28 and Losacco added a layup in the final minute for a 35-28 advantage.

Losacco picked up her fourth foul with 2:18 to play in the third quarter and sat out the next four minutes.

"That's not good when our point guard is out,'' Villa said. "We stepped up and took control.''

Forward Kaitlyn Ray contributed a three-point shot in the first quarter despite playing with a torn ACL she suffered two weeks ago.

"The doctors tell her she can't do any more damage. We try to spot her up,'' said White, who added Ray will have surgery after the season.

White pointed out the benefits of making the trip for one game.

"It's a game on the road against a team we don't normally see,'' White said. "Next year we'll play someone different.''

Bria Walker and Anna Petersen had eight points each for Metea Valley (5-17).

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