Boys Basketball: Neuqua Valley holds off Waubonsie Valley on late layup

Updated: May 9, 2012 10:12AM

Time was on Neuqua Valley’s side Tuesday and Jabari Sandifer made the most of it.

The junior guard went coast-to-coast in the final 14 seconds, sinking a driving layup with six seconds remaining that proved to be the game-winner in the Wildcats’ 50-48 upset of host Waubonsie Valley in another tense Upstate Eight Valley game.

“There wasn’t enough time left so I just get the ball and go,” said Sandifer, who took a quick inbounds pass after the Warriors’ Jared Brownridge sank a three-pointer from the baseline with 14 seconds left to complete his team’s comeback from an 11-point deficit and tie the game at 48-all.

Sandifer matched fellow guard Tyler Sutton for team scoring honors with 18 points each for the 13-9 Wildcats, who are now 4-4 in the league. Brownridge had 17 points and junior forward Bryan Jefferson 16 (and eight rebounds) for the home team, which falls to 13-6 and 5-2.

“Coach trusts us to make the right play to win the game there,” said Sandifer, explaining the team practices that end-of-the-quarter situation. “(Sutton) had a timeout to take but he didn’t call it because he knew we could make a play at the end.”

And the way the teams had been running their offensive plays, Sutton figured it was better to let his guys attack.

“These teams know each other so well we couldn’t run our plays because their players know them,” said the coach. “It was two teams that fought very hard. The offense wasn’t pretty but both clubs left it out there on the court.

“If they had stopped Jabari, I was confident he would have made a play to get the ball to someone else.”

Neuqua Valley had used a 9-0 run midway through the first quarter to erase an 8-5 deficit and closed the period with a 5-0 run to lead 19-12 entering the second. The Warriors came right back with a 6-2 spurt to open the second and closed it with a 4-0 run courtesy of a Jefferson steal and layup to cut the halftime deficit to 28-26.

Neuqua Valley led 43-32 when Tyler Sutton capped a 7-0 run with a trey, but the Warriors answered with a 7-0 run capped by a Demitrius Gray free throw with 3:52 remaining in the fourth and it was close the rest of the way.

Waubonsie Valley called timeout after Sandifer’s layup and had five seconds to go the length of the floor and attempt a game-tying or winning shot. A long pass connected with Jefferson just outside the three-point arc. He was trapped and his awkward off-balance attempt didn’t come close.

“It comes down to executing,” said Waubonsie Valley coach Steve Weemer. “Sandifer is a very good penetrator and we didn’t take it away.

“We did not execute our game plan tonight from start to finish. That’s what I’m most disappointed about. You win some and lose some that are close. We didn’t lose that game there at the end, we lost that game way back in the first quarter. We weren’t ready to play and they were. Our league is good.”

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