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Patient Neuqua Valley finds triumph against Waubonsie

Neuqua Valley coach Mike Williams considers the Wildcats a work in progress, and Tuesday night's 53-36 home win over Waubonsie could be considered a sign of progress in the early stage of the girls basketball season.

"We've been doing some soul searching and trying to figure ourselves out. Slowly but surely it's starting to come together," he said. "The important thing is where we end up, not what's happening right now."

The Wildcats (4-5, 2-1 DuPage Valley Conference) led 15-6 after the first quarter. However, Waubonsie (3-5, 1-1) tightened the contest, outscoring Neuqua 9-7 and trailing 22-15 at halftime.

"We started playing defense. In the first quarter we didn't come out with the defensive tenacity we needed. In the second quarter we buckled down," said Warriors coach Dave Owles. "In the third quarter it got away from us. But give credit to the girls, they didn't cave."

Neuqua enjoyed a 21-9 scoring advantage in the third quarter on 8-of-16 shooting. Rachael Tait scored 8 of her 11 points during the third.

"We started out the first half not as strong and really had to come together," Tait said. "Our coach at halftime reaffirmed that we were doing a good job. We just had to keep it up."

The Wildcats were led by senior Megan Keefer, one of just two seniors on the roster, who finished with a game-high 14 points, said that teamwork has been responsible for the success that Neuqua has achieved so far this season.

"We've been improving each game. The players help each other. If someone is having a bad shooting night, then someone else takes over shooting," he said.

The Wildcats led 43-24 at the end of 24 minutes. Waubonsie cut the lead down to 12 with 2:59 remaining in the game on a free throw by Gina Palasz, who led her team with 8 points. Neuqua finished the game on an 8-3 run.

Junior Jasmine Walker had 8 points for the Wildcats all coming in the second half, including two 3-pointers. Waubonsie's Iwiyisi Osaghae followed on the Warriors' scoresheet with 7.

Owles again stressed the need for Waubonsie to play strong defense and to cut down on turnovers.

"We had too many turnovers. It robs the offense of opportunities. We're going to work on some things Wednesday at practice and get back at it Thursday at Naperville Central," he said.

Neuqua is back on its home court Thursday night to take on Wheaton Warrenville South.

"We're going to stay patient. This takes time," Williams said of the remaining season.

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