Metea Valley takes first DVC win
The basketball game was there for Metea Valley's taking all night.
Finally, Myles Leavy took it.
The score was tied 49-49, due to a Leavy 3-pointer with just more than a minute to play. He wasn't through.
Naperville Central worked for a final shot. Guarding the ball, Leavy stole it, dribbled down and from just off the left low block rose and glanced a contested left-handed shot in off the backboard with two seconds to play.
Naperville Central turned the ball over on its inbounds play. Leavy made two free throws at 0.6 seconds, and Metea Valley earned its first DuPage Valley Conference win this season, 53-49 over the Redhawks on Friday in Aurora.
"I knew he would try to drive and try to do a move on me," said Leavy, a senior guard who scored 13 points. "The clock was winding down, he tried to create something. So I knew he'd be aggressive in that situation.
"It was a hard look, to be honest," he said. "When I drove earlier in the game he blocked my shot - or a different player (Kyle Baskin) did - so I tried to use my body to shield him off, create space. I'm left-handed, so that was my strong side. So I knew that was a good shot going in."
Naperville Central (15-7, 3-3) led 48-42 with 2:32 remaining after 6-foot-10 Oakland (Michigan) commit Chris Conway scored his game-high 18th point.
Metea Valley (9-13, 1-5) pulled within 48-46 when with 1:32 to play Ethan Tai made his fourth 3 of the game while getting banged to the floor, then added the free throw.
Naperville Central's Cam Dougherty hit a free throw for the 49-46 Redhawks edge with 1:19 left, followed by Leavy's tying 3 near the top of the arc, assisted by Tai.
"It's really exciting," said Tai, whose 16 points were his best. "First one (in the DVC), there's no words to describe it right now. It's just exciting. We're just going to enjoy the moment tonight, get back to it tomorrow."
Dougherty, a trouper, scored 17 points while sick but determined to play. He required breaks at the end of the bench a couple chairs away from his teammates. Not business as usual for the 6-6 senior in a game with 11 lead changes and 4 tie scores.
"I think down the stretch they made the winning plays that got them the game and we didn't," he said. "It's like déjà vu. I think three of our last four (games) we've had to go the full length of the floor in one second. I think we've just got to look at them as learning experiences. You either win or you learn."
Metea Valley did both. On Dec. 6 Naperville Central beat the Mustangs 72-34.
"That night was an avalanche," said Metea coach Isaiah Davis, who got 11 points and 6 rebounds from junior forward Alex Moreno. "They shot the ball well, we didn't play real well. So we looked at film and we made adjustments."