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Big second half lifts Metea Valley against WW South

Early on Thursday night, the Wheaton Warrenville South boys basketball team had a firm grip on the lead over host Metea Valley.

Slowly, the Mustangs loosened that grip and then in the second half put their clamps on it and earned a 78-69 victory.

After scoring 29 points in the first half, Metea Valley (7-8, 3-4 DuPage Valley Conference) erupted for 49 during the final two quarters.

"I loved our aggressiveness offensively to start the second half. We would go on a run. (The Tigers) might get a basket. But we stayed aggressive," said Mustangs coach Bob Vozza. "Upon taking the lead, we kept going after it."

Metea shot 8 of 14 from the field in the third quarter. Four of those baskets gave the team a 55-53 lead at the end of the period.

Malik Hall, who finished with 20 points, converted a three-point play to put Metea up 49-48 with 3:06 remaining in the third. Jeremy Hunter, who scored a game-high 24 points, hit his shot for 2 to make it 51-48. A short jumper by Matt Dacy-Seijo and a three-point play by Eric Rasch, team-high scorer with 18, gave the Tigers (10-5, 4-3) the lead back at 53-51.

Metea closed the quarter with a layup from Hall and then another from Harrison Kranz on the fastbreak with just seconds left put the Mustangs in the lead.

"We were just trying to keep getting the ball around to see whoever was open," Hall said.

Dacy-Seijo opened the final quarter by tying the game at 55. One of Hunter's three 3s on the night put the Mustangs back up 58-55 and Metea led the rest of the game.

WW South led 22-11 after the first eight minutes on 9-of-15 shooting with Rasch leading the way in the opening period with 8 points. The Tigers' shooting went cold in the second quarter at 3 of 11, but they made 9 of 11 from the free-throw line to lead at halftime 37-29.

"We just kept pushing the ball (in the second half)," Hunter said. "They ran a 2-2-1 press and we needed to get the ball ahead of that and not do what they wanted us do."

Dacy-Seijo followed on the WW South scoresheet with 17. Jeran Simpson and Matt Waldron each had 9 points.

On the Metea side, Kranz and Matt Helwig each had 10 points.

WW South plays host to its fourth annual MLK Basketball Tournament on Saturday and Monday and Metea will be there. The Tigers take on Bartlett at 12:30 p.m. Metea battles defending Class 4A champ Stevenson at 11 a.m.

Vozza said he likes the how the Mustangs are playing going into the tournament.

"We've played well since Christmas. Look who we have played. There's been a few minor mistakes. But we're tough to beat," he said. "These four games will be a good test for us."

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