Boys Basketball: Notebook

Updated: December 24, 2011 12:10PM

Metea Valley looking to keep rolling at Hinsdale South Holiday Tournament

Despite rattling off eight straight victories to begin the season, some outside questions surrounding Metea Valley’s viability probably remained in the days leading up to its game at Neuqua Valley on Dec. 16. A 67-61 triumph over the Wildcats, highlighted by a game-high and season-high 28 points from senior Kenny Obendorf, certainly adds credence to the Mustangs’ solid start.

“Just looking at where we want to be, in terms of our sectional and conference, it would be a huge win,” Metea Valley coach Bob Vozza said after the Mustangs’ victory over South Elgin on Dec. 10, six days before the Neuqua Valley game. “I think everyone in our conference is good. I think road games are even tougher. So playing at Neuqua, it’s a great program, it’s gonna be a tough challenge. It would be a huge, huge step.”

With 11 days off to bask in its victory at Neuqua Valley, Metea Valley will return to the floor on Tuesday against Eisenhower in the inaugural Hinsdale South Holiday Tournament, looking to build off that “huge” step.

The 21st-ranked Mustangs, the top seed in the tournament, will put their unblemished 9-0 record on the line in hopes of claiming their second holiday tournament title of the year, on the heels of winning the Joliet West Thanksgiving Classic.

As the only ranked team in the 16-team tournament field, the opportunity to potentially take a 13-0 record into the resumption of Upstate Eight Valley play on Jan. 7, 2012 against Lake Park is there for the taking.

Averaging 71.5 points a game as a team, Metea Valley is showing just how much it has grown up as a program in just one year.

“We don’t take any game for granted. We just go out there (and play) like every team is Simeon,” Mustangs’ junior forward Sean Davis said. “We just try to play hard.”

Waubonsie Valley attempting to learn on the fly

Having lost three of its last four games after getting off to a 5-0 start to begin the season, Waubonsie Valley enters the Jack Tosh York Holiday Classic on Tuesday looking to get back on track with its first-round meeting with Lyons Township at noon.

Recovering from their first loss of the season on Dec. 3 at Naperville Central by earning a road victory over one of its two crosstown rivals, Neuqua Valley, on Dec. 7, the Warriors have lost their last two games by a combined four points.

“Our guys have a lot to learn. We’re young,” Waubonsie Valley coach Steve Weemer said. “We make young players’ mistakes and we have to grow up and mature. We pout. We miss a free throw, we pout. Again, I’m taking the blame for the (57-56 overtime) loss (to Geneva (on Dec. 16). Our team’s gonna get better, I promise.”

The Warriors never led during the one-point home loss to Geneva and needed a 14-4 run over the last 4:04 in regulation just to force overtime, a run led by junior guard Jared Brownridge.

Brownridge, who recovered from a three-point first-half against the Vikings to eventually score 16 points and hit the game-tying three-pointer in regulation, has averaged 23.4 points over the course of the Waubonsie Valley’s last five games, a stretch that has seen it go 2-3.

A victory Tuesday over Lyons Township could possibly move the Warriors (6-3) into a second-round meeting with Naperville North, which carries a five-game winning streak into its game against Kenwood on Tuesday.

Naperville North winning despite enduring slow starts

Riding a five-game winning streak, Naperville North (6-2) enters the Jack Tosh York Holiday Classic with a lot of momentum.

However, that momentum has largely been generated from what the Huskies have done in the latter stages of their last three games.

Despite getting off to slow starts in each of its last two home games against Benet and Wheaton Warrenville South, respectively, Naperville North pulled out victories in each game.

“We’re gonna have to fix that because you’re gonna play different teams,” Naperville North coach Jeff Powers said after the Huskies beat Wheaton Warrenville South, 59-39, on Dec. 9. “And if you keep starting slow, we got to figure out if we’re just not lining up right or what. We’re not calling the right plays. We got to fix that a little better because that’s the second time in a row. That’s one of the things that we will have to work on for next Friday (at West Chicago).”

One quarter into the game at West Chicago on Dec. 16, the Huskies found themselves trailing 17-12.

A 9-1 run to begin the second quarter helped them recover and gain some traction before eventually pulling out a narrow 42-41 victory over the two-win Wildcats.

Benet embracing “underdog” status at Proviso West Holiday Tournament

Heading over to play in the 51st annual Proviso West Holiday Tournament for the 11th time and for the first time as defending tournament champions, Benet will turn its mindset from being the hunted to one of the hunters in the 16-team field.

Four of the 16 teams in the field---No. 2 Proviso East, No. 14 New Trier, No. 15 Homewood-Flossmoor and No. 17 Morgan Park----are currently ranked by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Entering the prestigious Christmas tournament at 10-1, Benet will open up its tournament title defense against a former East Suburban Catholic Conference foe, St. Joseph, on Tuesday night.

If fortunate enough to net a victory against the Chargers, the Redwings would likely be pitted against No.

2 Proviso East, which brings a 7-0 record into the tournament.

“I think we’re happy right now (with where we’re at). I think we play well as a team and that’s really

what I’m most proud of,” Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said last Sunday. “Our kids are competing every night.

… We’ll just try to get better in the week of practice and see what we can do next (week).

“We’re playing some really good teams, obviously. We know we’re the underdog really all the way through at Proviso. Right now, the focus is just playing as well as we can and (not) worrying about it and let the winning and losing take care of itself.”

The Redwings won the 2010 Proviso West Holiday Tournament with a 54-50 overtime victory over Homewood-Flossmoor.

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