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Waubonsie goes through grinder

After observing his team post a crucial come-from-behind 50-48 Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division victory over visiting Lake Park on Friday night, Waubonsie Valley coach Steve Weemer was wondering if he should get his eyes checked.

“What happened?” he wondered jokingly. “Sometimes you’ve got to find ways to win and I’m happy our guys hung in there. A win is a win is a win.”

But how amazing was this one? The Warriors (14-7, 4-3), who had been struggling to find any type of offensive consistency against Lake Park’s rugged defense all night, trailed 48-42 with 75 seconds to play when Jared Brownridge drained a 3-pointer to slice the deficit in half.

Things got more amazing with 31 seconds left when Jakobi Johnson swished his own 3-pointer despite being fouled to tie the game. Then, with Lake Park (11-9, 2-6) holding for a final shot, Waubonsie’s Tyler Yanisch swatted the ball off the foot of Lake Park’s Eric Eichholz. Three players raced for the ball at midcourt, knocking it toward the Warriors’ basket where Johnson dove on the ball, somehow managed to stay inbounds, then flipped it to Brownridge who laid it in with four seconds to play. There was still some suspense in store, however, as Dominique Spencer’s three-quarter-court heave at the buzzer hit the backboard and rim Butler-style before falling harmlessly to the floor.

“Once I knew the ball was going downcourt I had to trail the play and either rebound if Jakobi missed the shot or look for a pass, and he got it to me and I laid it in,” said Brownridge of the game-winning sequence. “We weren’t having one of our best games, so we knew we had to grind it out.”

It indeed was a grind all night for the Warriors, though they did use 7 offensive rebounds to help open a 15-10 lead after one quarter. However, they managed just 6 points in the second frame and were trailing 24-21 early in the third quarter when Xavier Biles, Brownridge, Brandon Malby and Tyler Edmondson pieced together a 9-0 spurt for a 30-24 lead. But behind 10 points from Zack Cooper, the Lancers closed the frame with a 16-3 run to take a 40-33 lead after three periods. Eichholz’s jumper left Lake Park with a 48-41 advantage, but then the Lancers went the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds without scoring as the Warriors roared back. Trying to protect the lead, Lake Park also turned the ball over three times in the final minute.

Afterward, Lake Park coach Josh Virostko chose the philosophical approach.

“That’s basketball; it’s the life I chose, no one made me do this,” he said, chucking ruefully. “We had kids that played fired up early, then with two minutes to play you could see we started thinking, hey, we can win this thing, and in basketball you can’t think, you have to react. Waubonsie made us start thinking, they got more physical and started pressing us and we turned the ball over.”

Both squads now prepare for important clashes, Lake Park tonight against local nonconference rival Conant, and Waubonsie Valley next Friday when Valley-leading East Aurora pays a visit.

Images: Lake Park vs. Waubonsie Valley boys basketball