Extra Points: Johnson, Neuqua Teammates Were Not About to Step Aside

Insiders with the Neuqua Valley boys basketball program were aware that there were some talented players returning this season even if last year’s 27-3 squad was graduating Dwayne Evans and two other standouts in Rahjan Muhamad and Kareem Amedu.

But until a bunch of players with little varsity experience proved themselves, there were going to be some big question marks. But with lone starter Sam Johnson back in the fold there was a good building block in place. And after a 14-0 start, many of those questions have been answered.

Saturday night at Bolingbrook, Johnson torched the Raiders for 32 points in the Wildcats' 83-60 non-conference victory that lifted the Wildcats to a 19-4 record on the year.

“When we can get contributions from a lot of people like we were tonight and we’re hitting as well as we were from the outside, it makes the game a lot easier,” said Johnson, whose 11 first-half points were overshadowed by Ryan McDermott. McDermott scored 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc in the first two quarters. “And Ryan making eight threes didn’t hurt at all.”

Johnson may not have expected this year’s Wildcats squad to rattle off 14 wins to open the year, but he’s not surprised to see the team playing well in 2010-2011. “No one really expected us to be where we are, especially coming out 14-0, but we knew what we had in the locker room," he said. "Our guys were confident.”

Assistant coach Mike O’Toole, who was running the team on Saturday as head coach Todd Sutton traded places with him for the night, was most impressed with Johnson’s mid-range jump shot at Bolingbrook. Johnson did connect on four 3-pointers in the game, but when he was going off for 21 points in the third quarter, his first five baskets were more like 10- and 15-footers.

“Sam (Johnson) is very talented. Everyone knows that he can get to the basket and everyone knows that he can hit the three,” O’Toole said. “But tonight he showed he has a great in-between game. Two dribbles to a 15-foot pull-up jumper … it’s really hard to guard a guy who can shoot from three, who’s athletic and can finish at the rim, and who has that in-between game. That’s very hard to defend.”

The Raiders surely learned that on Saturday.

Sophomore Score: Neuqua Valley 51, Bolingbrook 36. Freshman Elijah Robertson paced the Wildcats with 10 points, while the Raiders were led by nine points from Ben Moore.

Best supporting cast:  Sam Johnson may have led all scorers with 32 points, but teammate Ryan McDermott would have played the leading role on most nights. All McDermott did was bomb away from beyond the arc and make good on 8-of-10 three-point attempts for a career-high 24 points. “It was time for me to step up,” said McDermott, who led all scorers with 15 first-half points. “I was feeling hot. It was one of those games where you get your shot going and every opportunity looks good.”

Hot Links: Miss something? Read: Wildcats Use 15 Three-Pointers to Blitz Bolingbrook http://patch.com/A-dCBg