Starks leads furious Neuqua comeback
By her own admission Myia Starks was not playing very well for much of Friday night's regional final. But the Neuqua Valley guard is so good at making things happen so quickly, that her spectacular finish is pretty much all anyone will remember.
Starks scored 12 points over the final 3:29 and enabled the Wildcats to survive the Class 4A West Aurora regional title game against Metea Valley, winning 49-43 despite facing an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Neuqua Valley (24-6) struggled with its shooting while trailing 15-11 at the half, then made a nice run in the third quarter only to see Brianna Hall power the Mustangs back on top 39-28 early in the fourth quarter.
But Starks exploded for 12 points down the stretch, including a pair of 3-pointers and also a steal of an inbounds pass that she converted into a layup and a 42-41 lead with just more than a minute left to play.
"Oh my gosh, I was just really emotional," said Starks, who led Neuqua with 18 points after tallying just 3 in the first half. "There was no way I wanted my season to end as bad as I was playing. Our team wasn't together and we came out really slow. The atmosphere in the gym was crazy and it got to us, but we didn't give up. We kept on pushing. We survived."
It didn't look good for the Wildcats midway through the fourth quarter after the Mustangs' Hall, just a sophomore, converted a three-point play after a basket inside. Hall had 5 field goals and a pair of free throws while scoring 12 of her 18 points in the wild fourth quarter.
But Bryce Menendez hit a short jumper and Jamie McInerney added a pair of free throws to close the gap to 39-32, and that's when Starks took over. She scored off a steal, drained two 3s and later put her team ahead with another steal and bucket.
"That last couple minutes, that was huge. We needed to step it up and we did some good things," said Wildcats coach Mike Williams, whose regional champs will face Oswego in a sectional semifinal Tuesday at Oswego East. "We survived. When it comes down to the playoffs all you need to do is survive."
The tough ending to Friday's game left the Mustangs reflecting on a great effort and a strong 16-11 season. Guard Lisa Logan closed her senior season with a trio of 3s to finish with 9 points and 9 rebounds, but Hall - who had 11 rebounds - should be a force next season.
"They played great. They left everything out on that floor and that's what we expect them to do," Metea Valley coach Cedric Williams said. "At the end we made some turnovers, but all in all the girls didn't quit.
"Yeah, they just had a little bit extra. (Starks) hit a couple 3s, big shots that kind of put us in a hole a little bit. But you know what, we didn't quit at the end. That's all I ask of our kids, never quit."
Starks believes the great finish will carry over into the next round of the postseason.
"We're excited. We know that we can do anything now. Play awful in the first half and a little bit iffy in the third quarter … we know that we can do anything now. This was a real confidence booster toward the end."