Starks, Moon hit 1,000-point milestone for Neuqua Valley
Neuqua Valley seniors Kai Moon and Myia Starks seem to do everything together. Thursday they found something to do that usually allows a player to stand apart.
Moon and Starks each scored in double digits in the Wildcats' 60-48 victory against Wheaton North in Naperville, each surpassing the 1,000-point milestone in the process.
"That's my best friend," Starks said. "We've been doing this thing since fourth grade. It feels really good to do it together."
"It means a lot," added Moon, both players enjoying a postgame celebration - together, of course. "I know a lot of players don't ever get to this point. I didn't even know they were keeping track. The balloons came out of nowhere. I was confused as to why all my family was here. But I think it makes it a lot more special to have them here to be able to celebrate it with me."
Moon, who will play at Binghamton University at New York next year, scored a game-best 21 and grabbed 6 steals. Starks, an NIU recruit, fought through foul trouble to score 10 and grab 4 steals and dish 3 assists.
"They're leaders on and off the court," Neuqua Valley coach Mike Williams said. "They do a great job of maintaining their composure. They get us through the rough parts. For us they're the balancing act. They keep us grounded."
Starks and Moon got the Wildcats (17-7, 11-3) through the rough parts against the Falcons. Wheaton North took an 11-2 lead in the first quarter, but Neuqua Valley fought back to grab the lead in the second quarter on a pair of Makinzie DeHaan baskets, the only lead change of the game.
Wheaton North rallied in the third quarter, cutting an 11-point deficit to 2 heading into the fourth quarter. The Wildcats kept their composure and surged ahead again, making their free throws in the waning minutes to build the lead back to double digits.
"We're looking to take that next step," Falcons coach Dave Eaton said. "Annie Gentzler, our assistant coach, made a good point to the kids. It's about kids stepping up and wanting to do the dirty work. We got back into that game because Bella (Mullaney) and (Matti) Zander and Sarah Topps got some offensive rebounds and we finished second-chance opportunities. We have to find a way to do some of that dirty work all the time."
Starks and Moon had help in scoring from DeHaan, who came off the bench to score 11 points.
"She's finally coming back into her own after about 8-9 weeks off because of a concussion," Williams said.
Mullaney came off the bench to lead Wheaton North (10-14, 6-8) in scoring with 12 points. She also had 5 rebounds. Emmy Gryna added 10 points.
The Wildcats are half a game behind first-place Naperville Central (11-2) in the DuPage Valley Conference standings with two league games left on their schedule.
"It was extremely crucial for us to win this game," Moon said. "... We knew it would be a dogfight. We knew they would want to come in and beat us. We know we only have a couple of games left, so we have to have a playoff mentality from here on out."
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