Metea Valley nearing end of strong first season
Its first boys basketball playoff game coming Monday at Bolingbrook, Metea Valley has performed as anticipated in its first varsity season.
That’s to say, the Mustangs have been pretty good.
Sometimes preseason reviews pan out. The opening of Metea’s preview capsule provides a fair portrayal of the Mustangs (14-12) entering Friday’s big regular-season finale at Neuqua Valley.
“It is realistic to assume last year’s gaudy underclass record (22-3) will not stand up to the first year of varsity ball,” the preview stated. “Still, fans may entertain a fast track to success.”
Offering a multitude of scoring options primarily in Kenny Obendorf, LaShawn Cargo, Ryan Solomon, Milan Bojanic and Raysean Parker, Metea’s on-the-job training the first half of the Upstate Eight Conference schedule helped earn marquee second-round wins over East Aurora and, a week ago, Waubonsie Valley.
“I think we’re starting to understand our roles and how we need to play and how we as a group can be successful,” said Mustangs coach Bob Vozza, who on Friday revisits his mentor, Todd Sutton. Neuqua (21-6) won the first meeting 70-64.
“We’re getting to the point where I think they understand the concentration level and how to respond when things don’t go too well. Our bad minutes are decreasing, and we kind of put it all together against Waubonsie,” Vozza said.
Asked his goal for success in the Mustangs’ first varsity season, Vozza said he initially “didn’t really have any.”
“I didn’t really know how we would react to the big jump,” he said. “Early on it was all about getting better, then as we started pretty fast we set our goals higher.”
Finishing fourth at DeKalb’s Chuck Dayton Holiday Tournament then starting the new year 4-1, Vozza updated his expectations to a winning record.
Win or lose Friday at Neuqua, the 12th-seeded Mustangs will enter their regional opener against No. 22 Bolingbrook over .500 and with what Vozza calls “kind of a buzz around the building.”
“Overall, we’re looking forward to our first action in the playoffs and the opportunity to compete in a sectional and in big-time games,” he said. “I think it’ll be good for our kids. I think our schedule has prepared us all year for what a sectional is like.”
Back in the black:
Lisle is aiming for its first regional title since 2005 as it takes its home court Friday against No. 3 seed Aurora Christian.
The fourth-seeded Lions (10-19) defeated Aurora Christian 80-70 way back on Dec. 18 behind Phil Palicka’s 25 points and 15 rebounds, the same numbers Palicka compiled Tuesday night in Lisle’s 68-45 regional-opening win over Chicago Richards.
Chris Wray totaled identical points in that one, then the two Lisle “bigs” totaled 34 points in Lisle’s 41-37 win over Westmont to reach Friday.
On both nights “the No. 1 thing was we controlled the glass,” Lions coach Mark LaScala said. Lisle had the second-chance opportunities it denied Westmont and Richards.
“We’re definitely trying to control the paint area,” LaScala said, while pushing teams outside.
Aurora Christian (12-16) poses a different problem. Along with a penetrating point guard in Dean Danos and a solid big man in Ryan McQuade, the Eagles have a slew of outside shooters in Nick Marema, C.J. Schutt and coach Steve Hanson’s son, Jake.
“I think we have a size advantage across the board. I think (forward Kyle) Frazier, Phil and Chris will each have an inch on their guys. We need to use that advantage by getting good shots and getting the ball inside,” LaScala said.
“In many ways I think it’ll be a perimeter-vs.-inside battle,” he said. “I’m concerned that their 3s are going to add up faster than our 2s.”
Tough assignment:
So many factors played into Benet’s 58-54 win over Simeon in Saturday’s City-Suburban Showdown. One of the most important was Pat Boyle’s defensive play on Wolverines standout Jabari Parker.
While Parker, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, did score a game-high 21 points, Boyle’s gritty defense kept the damage from becoming far worse.
For all the tough assignments the 6-1 senior has faced — and there have been plenty this season — Boyle said facing Parker, who has been offered by Duke among many others, was the toughest.
“I think so,” Boyle said. “Obviously, we play against a lot of good people, but he’s a great player and he can do almost everything on the court.”
Boyle thrives as a defensive stopper and role player among Northwestern-bound point guard Dave Sobolewski, Wisconsin-bound center Frank Kaminsky and 3-point threat Matt Parisi, but his contributions are extensive.
Boyle scored 10 points against Simeon and has shown his own perimeter shooting ability. In Benet’s 75-51 win over Glenbard East on Jan. 22, for example, Boyle knocked down three 3-pointers and scored a game-high 22 points.
Joining the club:
The parade of area players reaching the 1,000-point career mark this season made its way to Bensenville. In Fenton’s 66-58 Metro Suburban Conference loss to Illiana Christian on Feb. 12, Fenton third-year starter Dan Montano reached the milestone.
“It’s an example of consistency during his career,” said Fenton coach Dennis Cromer. “He’s our only scorer averaging double figures, so he’s really been a marked man.”
Montano, a 6-foot-3 senior forward, came up to varsity as a sophomore but played only nine games due to a broken foot. The 1,000-point accomplishment is even more impressive considering he scored 62 points that season.
Moving into seventh place on Fenton’s career scoring list after the Illiana Christian game, Montano is now fifth with 1,053 points. Although breaking Richard Oruche’s record of 1,196 points, set between 2003 and 2005, is unlikely, Montano’s leaving a lasting legacy regardless.
He’s the program record-holder with 575 points in a season, he’s third in career rebounding and fourth in season rebounding. With a full sophomore season all of his numbers would have been much bigger.
“I really think he would have become our all-time leading scorer if he hadn’t gotten hurt,” Cromer said. “It’s really tough to get 1,000 points in only two seasons.”