Sports
Girls Basketball: Central Tops Neuqua Again, Wins Regional
Naperville Central 46, Neuqua Valley 41: Redhawks run streak to 14 wins in 15 games; reacht first sectional since 2008.
The Hot Read: Neuqua Valley had cut Naperville Central’s lead to 35-34 in the middle of the fourth quarter, but Jamie Cuny’s three-pointer with 2 minutes 40 seconds left sparked a 9-1 run that helped the Redhawks pull away and win the Class 4A East Aurora Regional title. The win was Central’s 14th victory in its past 15 games, a streak that started with a 45-40 win over Neuqua on Jan. 11. It’s the Redhawks’ first regional title since a seven-year streak of regional crowns was snapped in 2008. The game also featured two significant milestones. Coach Andy Nussbaum picked up his 500thcareer win and senior point guard Emma Ondik scored her 1,500th career point. She’s the third Central player to reach that milestone, following Erica Carter and Candace Parker.
Patch’s MVP: Sophomore forward Victoria Trowbridge paced the Redhawks with 13 rebounds and added 10 points.
Key stats: Neuqua Valley got off a mind-boggling 80 shots from the field, but were only able to connect on 15 of them, an 18.8 percent clip. All of those shots were aided by 31 offensive rebounds and 16 Central turnovers. The Wildcats held a 57-38 advantage on the boards. Cuny helped offset that production by drilling four three-pointers en route to a team-high 12 points for Central.
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Neuqua Valley’s leaders: Alexa Wilde (18 points, 16 rebounds), Najee Smith (eight points, 10 rebounds), Malia Smith (nine points).
Naperville Central’s leaders: Cuny (12 points), Trowbridge (10 points, 13 rebounds), Emma Donahue (nine points, seven rebounds, four blocks), Ondik (eight points, four assists).
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Quotable: “The three that made it 38-34 was huge,” Nussbaum said. “With the kind of pressure they put on you, they go on a lot of runs. I thought our kids did a good job of maintaining their poise. We’ve done a pretty good job of maintaining leads.”
Team records: Neuqua Valley (21-7), Naperville Central (24-8).
What’s next: The Redhawks get a shot at the state’s best team, Bolingbrook, in the Class 4A Romeoville Sectional semifinals Monday at 7:30 p.m. McDonald’s All-American Ariel Massengale, who is headed to Parker’s alma mater of Tennessee next season, leads the Raiders.
