Chtilianov, Waubonsie Valley slam Metea
Waubonsie Valley's Eric Chtilianov made a point to put a memorable exclamation point in Friday's home victory over rival Metea Valley.
With the Warriors cruising to a double-digit win, aided by a solid defensive effort and balanced scoring, Chtilianov saw an opening for a highlight-reel dunk. Gliding to the basket, in the final minutes of the third quarter, Chtilianov took a few steps and leaped high, slamming home a thundering two-handed dunk.
The 6-foot-3 Chtilianov said he was waiting to make a statement play against the Mustangs.
"It was just another big energy boost and a nice little gorgeous momentum to add onto the already big win," he said. "It was nice. We needed it. I'm a two-handed dunker. I don't want the ball to pop out."
Before a near capacity crowd, Chtilianov said it was "definitely the best dunk of the year."
In a game filled with highlights, Chtilianov scored 11 points to power the Warriors to a 64-41 rout over the Mustangs in DuPage Valley Conference play.
The Warriors (12-10, 4-3) looked like a completely different team on Friday compared to their previous meeting against the Mustangs (17-7, 4-3). On Dec. 9, Metea Valley knocked off the Warriors 60-54.
"(Waubonsie Valley) was really good tonight," Metea Valley coach Isaiah Davis said. "They executed and we were flat for pretty much the entire game. We had a little spurt in the third quarter. We weren't very good, and they were very good. We had been playing well, winning 13 of our last 15 games. This won't define our season. We have a chance to bounce back tomorrow and get back on the winning trail. We just weren't very good tonight."
In the second meeting of the Battle of Eola, the Warriors controlled the game from the outset, contesting nearly every shot to make scoring difficult for the Mustangs, while also making the visitors work on the defensive end. The Warriors scored the first 11 points of the game, with five different players scoring a basket. Senior guard Shoi Rathi closed out the scoring surge with a crowd-pleasing spin move.
The Warriors delighted the large crowd with several inspiring plays on both ends, as Tre Blissett had a pair of blocks on the same possession early in the game. Tyreek Coleman closed out the first half with a hanging 3-footer in the paint for a 26-11 lead.
The Warriors spread out the scoring to overwhelm the Mustangs. Jackson Langendorf was at the center of the blowout, attacking Metea Valley's defense with spin moves and strong drives to the basket to end with 16 points. Coleman buried 3 3-pointers for 13 points and Blissett added 7 in limited playing time.
Langendorf credited the payback victory to playing with more intensity.
"We had a different level of energy defensively compared to the last time we played time," Langendorf said. "The last few weeks we've been really getting it in practice on close outs. We're just a touch faster on everything."
The Mustangs managed just 4 points in the first quarter, and didn't cross the double-digit mark until Nick Schroeder's 3-pointer with 1 minute left until halftime. Schroeder made 3 3-pointers for a team-high 11 points.
"Our defense was smothering," Waubonsie Valley coach Andrew Schweitzer said. "I love offense, but to me, it's all about defense ... Lucky for us, everything clicked. Metea is a very good team. I'm on cloud nine."