Neuqua Valley falls to Oswego

Joey Niesman blocked John Poulakidas' shot, made two fists as he motioned to the Oswego bench and turned around to play to the crowd.

Defense, yes, can be fun.

Niesman, Oswego's senior guard, was having plenty of it when he denied Neuqua Valley's star junior in the second half Tuesday.

"He tried crossing me over and putting one up and I told him 'Not today,'" Niesman said with a smile. "Gave a little (Dikembe) Mutombo finger wag."

It was definitely Oswego's day.

Niesman was one of three Panthers scoring in double figures, but defense ruled the day in a 52-37 win over Neuqua at the Hoops 4 Healing Tournament in Oswego.

The Panthers (2-0) held the Wildcats (1-1) to 26 percent shooting. Poulakidas, 0 for 9 and scoreless in the first half, finished with just 5 points.

"We always felt like this was a group that could score the ball, but could we get stops?" Oswego coach Chad Pohlmann asked. "Tonight was the first night that this group kind of realized how it works and sustained it for 32 minutes. Everybody was engaged."

Neuqua, like it did Monday against Oswego East, struggled mightily offensively in the first half. Unlike that first game, things never got on track.

Mark Gronowski scored 16 points and Connor Davis had 8, although Davis was scoreless in the second half. Neuqua trailed 24-19 at halftime and got within 26-25 in the third quarter on a Gronowski basket - but never got closer.

"Hey, we had 33 points with two minutes left. Tough team. They just destroyed us," Neuqua coach Todd Sutton said. "They were much tougher, much more physical, better on the boards, better in every aspect. It was a beat down."

Poulakidas, who scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half Monday, never did get it going. Oswego rotated multiple players, from Jack Kahoun to Niesman to Kobe Adams on to the 6-foot-5 forward.

"Hey, that's the way it's going to be all year," Sutton said. "Get used to it. Every game is going to be like that."

Niesman knows a thing or two about defense as a defensive back for Oswego's football team. He looked like a kid who was two weeks removed from football season on Monday but founds his basketball legs Tuesday.

Niesman scored 6 of his 15 points in the third quarter and 5 more in the third on a series of drives to the basket and other scores around the rim.

"Came out wrong Monday, focused on doing everything right today. Eating everything I needed to eat, get my potassium, do whatever I can to get the 'W,'" Niesman said. "Definitely still had my football legs yesterday. Today got into it more."

Pohlmann will gladly take it from a kid who was a spark plug as Oswego's sixth man last year.

"He can do so many different things, race down the floor, make a play. He's a demon out there," Pohlmann said. "He knew he needed to play better tonight and he came out like a senior and had a monster performance."

So did senior guard Kobe Adams for the second straight night.

On the heels of a personal-high 30 points Monday, Adams followed it up with 22 - 16 coming in the second half to help give Oswego separation highlighted by several hard drives to the rim. Connor McCance added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

"Kobe, again, was just fantastic," Pohlmann said. "He's pretty relentless. He's put in a lot of work."