advertisement

Neuqua Valley can't stop Hinsdale C.

Neuqua Valley's patented in-your-face defense has yet to find its groove, and as a result, the Wildcats have yet to find the win column.

The Wildcats dropped to 0-3 on the new year with a 70-60 defeat to a hot-shooting Hinsdale Central team in the final day of pool play at the Hoops for Healing Tournament at Oswego. The 2-1 Red Devils jumped ahead 15-3 behind four early 3-pointers, two of which came from Drew Sheperd.

Neuqua Valley then closed to within 17-11, but Hinsdale Central connected on 8 of 12 shots in the first quarter - including 5 of 7 from beyond the arc - to lead 24-17 after one quarter on its way to a 40-27 lead at the half.

"We really shot it extremely well and it was the antithesis of last night," said Red Devils coach Nick Latorre, whose squad held off Oswego East 37-31 on Tuesday. "Last night we couldn't throw it in the ocean."

Not taking anything away from the likes of Sheperd and Chris Eck, who each finished with 17 points and combined for seven 3s, Wildcats coach Todd Sutton felt his team could have pressured those jump shots a little better.

"If you don't play defense like you're supposed to that's what happens," Sutton said. "They had some good looks. They were playing horse out there."

Hinsdale Central finished the night with 11 3-pointers, including two off the bench by Jack Hoiberg, but center Peter Blust also hurt Neuqua Valley down low, piling up 15 points and 7 rebounds.

"Our kids did a very good job of sharing the ball and getting great shots. I was pleased," said Latorre, whose team resumes play Friday night at Oswego.

For the Wildcats, Joe Sieger had 15 points to lead his team in scoring a third straight game. Jacob Cushing was next with 13 points, while Alex Filo had 6 points and 6 rebounds.

"I feel like we just need to figure out what our identity as a team is," said Sieger, a 6-foot-1 senior and the lone starter back from last year's 27-5 team. "Obviously, that needs to include defense because we're giving up way too many points. The guys on our team that are supposed to be leaders and the guys who are supposed to be big contributors - including me - aren't giving us what we need to be given. Until that happens we're not going to be successful."

In Wednesday's first contest, Naperville Central (2-1) knocked off Foreman 59-49 behind 22 points and 16 rebounds from Harrison Hallstrom. Naperville North, meanwhile, beat Oswego East 46-39 to win its pool and advance to the Hoops for Healing title game at 7 p.m. Friday.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.