Waubonsie Valley escapes Naperville North with unbeaten record intact
With a little over two minutes to play, a dunk by Waubonsie Valley’s Moses Wilson put his team up 7 at Naperville North and seemed to seal yet another Warriors win. But not so fast — first they had to survive a scare or two down the stretch.
The two points by Wilson proved critical in a 40-39 DuPage Valley Conference win, but the Warriors’ perfect mark was on the line until the final horn, not extended until the Huskies’ Luke Williams’ drive down the lane in traffic wouldn’t go down.
“That was scary. He was penetrating … if there’s time on the clock they still go,” said Wilson, who felt relieved to escape Wednesday’s battle with the team 15-0 overall and 5-0 in the DVC. “This one was a lot harder. They’re a really sound defensive team, they really put pressure on us and made it difficult. That’s why the game was really close. It’s like a big relief, for sure. That was a nailbiter.”
Naperville North (10-9, 2-3) was playing without injured guard Cole Arl, yet the home team battled until the bitter end and came oh-so-close to pulling off the upset.
“Waubonsie just made big shots…it came down to the last possession and that’s how it goes,” Huskies coach Gene Nolan said. “The ball’s in Luke’s hands, in the paint, one second to go. It was a tough shot. Sometimes those go in and sometimes they don’t. It was a great high school basketball game.”
Waubonsie led most of the night, but each time they appeared ready to stretch their lead, the Huskies fought back. The Warriors opened the game with an 8-3 lead, only to see the score tied at 10 after one quarter. It was 22-20 Waubonsie Valley at the half as Wilson led his team with 7 points and Naperville North’s Bryce Welch tallied 9 of his team-high 12 points through two quarters.
The visitors extended their lead to 32-26 after three quarters before increasing the margin to 39-32 after they broke through the Huskies press and Wilson slammed down the final two of his 10 points.
But veteran guards Williams and Welch did their best to rally their team late and sophomore Max Steele’s 3-pointer closed the gap to 40-39 with 13.6 seconds left. Williams had a fastbreak bucket and an assist on Grant Montanari’s layup late, and it was a great drive and dish off by Welch that set up Steele’s big 3.
“Our kids fought against a team that’s outstanding, and to come back to get it down to one possession again,” Nolan said. “Sometimes in that situation the game can get away from you.
“There’s a lot we’re getting better at and I can’t wait for practice tomorrow.”
The Warriors will play a pair of games Saturday at Wheaton Warrenville South’s Martin Luther King Day tourney, including a big test with Normal. But first they can celebrate Wednesday’s thrilling game in Naperville.
“It feels good, it was a nailbiter,” said senior forward Matt Sessom, who had two big baskets early in the second half. “They have a great defense so we just had to play patient ball. Everyone loves each other and everyone plays hard. We didn’t really expect it (15-0 start), but it feels good.”
Tyreek Coleman knocked down a trio of 3s on Wednesday to lead the Warriors with 11 points, while Tre Blissett added 6 points and 6 rebounds. Williams finished the game with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists for the Huskies.