Oswego knocks out Neuqua Valley
Late in the second quarter of Tuesday's Class 4A Oswego East girls basketball sectional semifinal, one could see the momentum of the game swing Oswego's way.
And when the second half got under way, Oswego didn't give the momentum back, winning 51-39. The Panthers (22-9), seeded third in the sectional, face top-seeded Benet at 7 p.m. Thursday for the sectional title.
"(The Panthers) did a good job. They hung with us and then came back," said Neuqua coach Mike Williams, whose second-seeded squad finishes the season at 24-7.
The Wildcats' Bryce Menendez converted a pass from Jamie McInerney into a basket that put Neuqua up 24-14 with 3:22 remaining until halftime. Oswego started rallying with a free throw by Amri Wilder. Then Jordan Campbell, who scored a game-high 22 points, hit for two consecutive baskets and with just 14 seconds left, Erin Sinnott, who followed Campbell with 14 points, hit a 3-pointer to put the Panthers to within 2 at halftime.
"I think that gave them a big boost and they came out and smashed us in the third quarter," said Neuqua junior Kai Moon, who led her team with 17 points. "We let a lot of their post players remain open down low."
The two teams met in December at the Oswego Holiday Classic, with the Panthers winning 58-44.
"We played Oswego in December and we weren't the same team. It was a loss that hurt us. It was a game we felt we should have won," Moon said.
Neuqua had won seven straight going into Tuesday's game.
The Panthers outscored the Wildcats 12-4 in the third quarter and held Neuqua to just 1 field goal, a 3-pointer by Moon with just a few seconds left.
Although Oswego had the momentum from late in the first half on, the Panthers couldn't put the Wildcats in their rearview mirror until late.
Campbell opened the final period with a bucket to make it 36-28. Neuqua answered with a 6-1 run with the help of baskets from Menendez and Moon to pull to 37-34.
The Panthers then tightened control in the paint and easily fed passes to players underneath the basket. Then they spent the rest of the game at the free-throw line to open their margin to double digits.
"There's nothing to complain about a 24-7 season, and we have some kids coming back with experience," Williams said.
Thursday's sectional final will be the first meeting of the season between Benet and Oswego.