Neuqua Valley completes a good weekend

Neuqua Valley came out of the weekend with a pair of boys basketball conference victories and kept its record unblemished in the process.

Following a 13-point win over cross-town rival Metea Valley on Friday, the Wildcats moved to 2-0 in the Upstate Eight Valley with an 82-56 home victory over South Elgin on Saturday night.

"We had a game last night, so you want to see how the team would respond to fatigue," Neuqua Valley senior Connor Raridon said. "But we came out and played hard and that's a good sign for us."

Raridon, a three-year varsity starter, led the Wildcats with a game-high 26 points, but Neuqua Valley coach Todd Sutton was quick to credit Raridon's progression as a leader during his time in the program.

"He's helping people get to the right spots and trying to instruct them on the things they should be doing in certain situations," Sutton said. "He's always had all of the skills, but now it's the leadership role of helping others become better players."

Neuqua Valley (6-0, 2-0) quickly raced out to a 13-5 lead, but South Elgin freshman Anthony Lynch trimmed an 8-point first-quarter deficit with back-to-back baskets to cut the Wildcats lead to 13-9.

However, a putback by Joe Sieger started an 11-0 run that gave Neuqua Valley a 24-9 lead before a baseline 3-pointer by South Elgin's Quintin McClundon ended the scoring drought.

The Wildcats extended their 39-23 halftime lead behind Sieger's 3-point accuracy, as he began the third quarter by knocking one down from the baseline, followed by another from the top of the key.

A jumper from the free-throw line by Jacob Eminger, followed by a 3-pointer from Raridon put the Wildcats up 50-25 just 2½ minutes into the third quarter.

South Elgin's Justin Howard connected on a 3-point third-quarter buzzer-beater from midcourt and then opened the fourth quarter with another 3, cutting the deficit to 61-45.

Oakley Bunce connected on a pair of fourth-quarter free throws for the Wildcats that put his team up 71-51, and Neuqua Valley maintained at least a 20-point cushion the rest of the way.

Lynch led South Elgin (2-4, 0-2) with 18 points and has seen significant minutes after injuries to junior point guard Matty Smith and 6-foot-11 junior center Tyler Hankins.

"It's normal for a freshman to be a little more tentative, but each game, (Lynch) goes a little harder and that's what we need out of him," South Elgin coach Matt Petersen said. "Every game he gets in and the more he's asked to do, he's learning how hard you have to play at this level. He's letting his skill level come out because he's not being held back by that lack of intensity."