West Aurora stuns Waubonsie Valley
Chris Nieves' game-altering 3-pointer was inconceivable without Kelvin Balfour Tuesday night.
The West Aurora boys basketball team pulled off a stunning upset as a result in a Class 4A regional semifinal.
Nieves' baseline 3-pointer gave the underdog Blackhawks their second lead of the second half and proved to be the catalyst of West Aurora scoring the final 7 points of the game on its home court.
The Blackhawks, the No. 14 seed of the Lockport sectional complex, stunned the third-seeded Warriors 47-41 in Aurora.
The nightcap was equally surprising as No. 11 Plainfield Central sped past sixth-seeded Lincoln-Way Central.
West Aurora (10-19) entered the game with one-third the number of regular-season victories as Waubonsie Valley (27-5).
"I am super glad Kelvin was able to find me in the seam," said Nieves, who finished with 13 points. "I usually go in the corner because Kelvin draws so much attention."
Nieves' third 3-pointer gave West Aurora a 43-41 lead with 42 seconds to play.
The Blackhawks' Kenny Dyson drew a charge on the Warriors' ensuing possession, and Nieves' two free throws doubled the West Aurora spread with 25 seconds remaining.
Balfour closed out the scoring with 2.3 seconds to play at the free-throw line as Waubonsie Valley, which entered the fourth quarter with a 38-32 lead, could muster only 3 points in the last eight minutes.
Marcus Skeete, the Warriors' do-it-all senior guard, led all players with 19 points.
But Skeete was the lone Waubonsie Valley player to score in the fourth.
Balfour, who had a team-high 18 points for West Aurora, and Skeete were in the spotlight the entire game.
The two seniors scored on in-your-face jumpers and superior playground moves in the open court.
"He had to make a shot and I had to make a bigger shot," Balfour said of his duel with Skeete. "It was just tit for tat."
On Nieves' baseline-left 3-pointer, Balfour drove from the opposite side, drawing two players in the process, before rifling a pass to his senior classmate.
"The whole play was designed for me to get a baseline drive and iso," Balfour said. "I knew he was going to make it."
Ben Schweiger, like Skeete, a 6-foot-5 versatile player for the Warriors, was limited to 9 points.
West Aurora fought back from a 25-19 halftime deficit. Axel Motola converted a 3-pointer with 2:47 left to give the Blackhawks their first lead since the second quarter.
Skeete had the Warriors' only fourth-quarter field goal moments later for the Warriors' last lead.
"I think this is a really rough matchup for us with their athleticism on the road," Waubonsie Valley coach Jason Mead said. "They're not a bad team. More than half of their losses were last-possession types of things. I am just sad."