Metea Valley finds a way to get win

During the first few weeks of the season, high school basketball teams are trying to find a groove and start the process of being the team they want to be at the end of the season.

Thursday's 76-60 victory by host Metea Valley over East Aurora showed that while the Mustangs are not a finished product, work is in full swing on Metea trying to reach its full potential.

"We're battling some football injuries, some sickness. We've shown good spurts in every game," said Metea coach Bob Vozza. "I've liked moments. I've liked (scoring) runs. But it's only December."

The Mustangs (4-3, 2-1 Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division) won this game because they put the brakes on an East Aurora offense that ran amok for most of the first half. The Tomcats (2-5, 1-2) shot 10 of 15 from the field to lead 21-16 after the first quarter and led by as much as 16 late in the first half. The Mustangs adjusted successfully.

"The first quarter and a half, they (East Aurora) did what they wanted offensively. We increased the pressure with trapping and the guys responded. We were getting turnovers and scoring easy baskets in transition," Vozza said.

Metea closed the first half on an 11-0 run to trail just 37-32 at halftime with 6 of those points coming from Justin Kuehn. The Mustangs picked up where they left off in the second half, outscoring the Tomcats 44-23 in the final two quarters.

East Aurora committed just 5 turnovers total during the first, second and fourth quarters. But it coughed up the ball 9 times during the third and that helped the Mustangs' 23-point output during that time span and Metea led 55-47 at the end of 24 minutes.

Ron Edwards led the Mustangs with 15 points, all coming in the second half. Mark Konkle had 13 and Kuehn finished with 10. A total of 9 Metea players scored against East Aurora.

"Our presure and intensity definitely helped us. We had the momentum," junior Nick Dodson said. "We've had health issues. But the kids coming in have been producing. There is no weak link. Everyone can come in and produce to the best of their ability."

Metea's week concludes Saturday with a trip to West Aurora for a 6 p.m. contest.