It did not take long for Neuqua Valley basketball players to start talking about yet another trip to state in 2003.
Shortly after a semifinal loss to Marian Catholic on Saturday at the Class AA state girls basketball finals at Redbird Arena in Normal, younger Wildcat players were already trying to figure out what it would take to get there for a third straight year.
“Our kids were disappointed that they didn’t get to that championship game,” said Neuqua Valley coach Mike Williams. “Our juniors started talking about next year and getting to the championship game. [We saw] the hunger in some of those kids’ eyes.”
The Wildcats rebounded from that 59-55 overtime loss in the semis and beat Lake Zurich 52-45 to claim third place and the program’s second consecutive state trophy.
Neuqua also finished 30-6 overall for the second year in a row.
While he would have loved to be in another state title game (Neuqua Valley lost to Fenwick 65-32 in the 2001 championship), Williams was pleased with the finish as well as the character his team displayed.
“We kept everything in perspective, and the kids did a good job of keeping it in perspective,” he said. “I heard more compliments about our kids’ behavior–how much fun they were having.
“I know it’s a pressure situation and I know it’s tense. Yet, all in all, our kids were able to walk away with a smile and a laugh.”
Neuqua Valley opened its second trip to state with a 58-48 quarterfinal victory over Olney East Richland. The Wildcats broke a 39-39 tie with an 8-0, fourth-quarter run as sophomore Lindsay Wisdom scored a pair of three-pointers and added a layup. And after the Tigers cut the lead back to five at 47-42 with 3:46 to play, the Wildcats sealed the deal with seven unanswered points for a 54-42 advantage with 2:09 left.
“The threes were there and I went for them,” said Wisdom, who had a game-high 19 points and 12 rebounds.
In Saturday’s semifinal, Neuqua rallied from an early 16-point deficit and led 48-46 with 8 seconds left in regulation. But the Marian Catholic Spartans outscored the Wildcats 11-7 in overtime, including hitting seven of 11 free throws to advance to the state championship game, where they lost to Hinsdale Central.
Neuqua scored 28 points off turnovers. Getting its defense on track was critical in the comeback.
“That’s what turned our game around,” said senior forward Laura Laurent. “We started getting some steals and some confidence and that’s how we came back.”
Denied a shot at the Class AA title, the Wildcats took on Lake Zurich, which came into the tourney as the state’s only unbeaten team.
Neuqua grabbed a 6-4 lead on a Wisdom jumper with 6:02 left in the opening quarter and never trailed in a close contest.
Holding a 46-45 lead with 3:47 to play, Neuqua pulled away down the stretch as Wisdom hit four straight free throws. She and teammate Jennia Siljendahl each had 16 points for the Wildcats.
For the season, Wisdom led the team in scoring, averaging 14 points per game. She averaged 17 points in three tourney games. But perhaps the most improved player through the season was 6-foot-3 sophomore center Jess Jones, who averaged 6.4 points per game and was second to Wisdom in rebounding with 169.
“Even though she struggled at the tail end, Jess has come full circle,” Williams said. “I look for great things out of her next year.”
The Wildcats will lose three top players from this team–Karly Chesko and Laurent (10 points per game) and Siljendahl (seven points)–but Williams hopes to rebuild from within.
“We’re going to fill in the blanks with other kids that are coming up,” he said.
