Smith, South Elgin turn back Neuqua Valley 64-57

With the game on the line, South Elgin junior center Dijon Smith took one for the team.

Defending not only the lead, but also an unbeaten record at home, Smith stood firm and took a charge to stunt a Neuqua Valley run that had brought the Wildcats within 6 points at 55-49 with 5 minutes left to play.

The hit knocked Smith out of the game but she returned later to relieve counterpart Cortney Kumerow, who fouled out attempting to take a charge of her own.

The momentum shifter helped the Storm hold on for the 64-57 Upstate Eight Conference girls basketball victory.

"Dijon taking that charge was the play of the game," said South Elgin coach Tim Prendergast. "It was huge, and believe me she's paying for it now with a big lump on her head."

Smith came up big throughout the game, and following 4 lead changes in the second quarter, her rebounding unquestionably contributed to a 14-0 run in the final 4 minutes prior to the half. Trailing by four, the Storm outscored Neuqua 17-3 to go up 37-27 at the break.

Combination play was big as the Storm crawled up from a 24-20 deficit by sinking 7 buckets in 3 minutes. Freshman Becca Smith recorded 3 assists in that span, finishing the game with 15 points, 7 steals and 7 assists to lead South Elgin.

On the receiving end of those dishes, Genevieve Johnson (11 points, 4 rebounds) tallied 7 second quarter points. Kumerow, who finished the game with 13 points, also added 7 to the run.

"That second quarter run was huge," said Prendergast. "Seeing four players score in the double-digits is what a coach looks for. We were spreading the ball around and we did a great job on the glass.

"We are playing our best basketball right now, and this is when you want to do it."

When all was said and done, Dijon Smith had matched her point tally at 14 with 14 boards.

"I didn't know it would be quite this physical, but we kept our composure and kept thinking about staying undefeated at home," Smith said. "That charge hurt, but it was for the team. This is the best we've played all year. We stuck together."

Despite trailing by 10 at the half, the Wildcats (9-14, 2-5) refused to walk away without a fight.

Freshman guard Becky Willford (5 rebounds) came out of the break rejuvenated, scoring 14 of the team's 20 points in the third quarter. With the rally, Willford finished the game with 21 points to lead all scorers.

Her spark led to a 10-2 Wildcat run making it a game at 47-42 with 3 minutes remaining in the third.

"Nobody gave up," said Neuqua Valley coach Mike Williams. "We've played six games in 11 days and our schedule is brutal so the girls were tired. Still, they played hard until the end."

Danielle Davis added 14 points to the Wildcat attack.

"Danielle had an excellent game," Williams said. "We have to play with our quickness and speed, and we have to play hard and aggressive. The girls did that. Both teams played extremely hard."

For South Elgin (14-7, 5-3), Kaleigh Irwin came off the bench to scored 7 points while tugging down half a dozen rebounds. Rachel Ross added 6 points for Neuqua.