Keep the faith.
Aidan Lee may not have a ton of varsity playing experience to draw up for Waubonsie Valley, but the 6-foot-1 senior shooting guard is learning that valuable lesson.
Through ups and downs, shooters can’t be shy.
It served Lee and the Warriors well over weekend as he overcame a slow start in their DuPage Valley Conference opener at Metea Valley.
“I know my first half started off really cold,” Lee said. “But I knew the work that I have put in and my team never let me get down, motivating and inspiring me all through halftime and the game.
“My shot just started falling as I expected it to at the beginning and that was the outcome.”
That outcome was a 48-46 victory Friday night for Waubonsie Valley.
Lee, who missed 5 of 6 shots in the first half, then went on a tear. He made six straight shots in a span of 7:30 in the third and fourth quarters to rally the Warriors (4-1, 1-0) from a 32-23 deficit.
He converted four 3-pointers in that stretch, scoring 16 of his 18 points that matched teammate Kris Mporokoso, a 6-4 junior guard/forward, for game-high scoring honors.
“They were all good looks,” Waubonsie Valley coach Andrew Schweitzer said of Lee’s early misses. “We told him to keep running our stuff and believe in yourself.’
“For a kid that didn’t play at all as a junior, he’s taken that role and gives us a very strong second or third option that’s very hard for teams to cover.”
It’s also a much-needed development with Waubonsie having graduated six of its top seven players from a 31-win team.
“Aidan played JV last year and made 11 3-pointers in one game,” Schweitzer said. “He had a great offseason, put in the work in the weight room and has become more than a shooter.
“He helps us on defense and can handle the ball a little bit.”
He plays the point on the Warriors’ 1-2-2 ball press.
Tre Watkins, a 6-2 senior guard and Illinois Springfield recruit, scored 14 points to lead the Mustangs (2-2, 0-1).
His 3-pointer from just inside the halfcourt line, contested by Lee, was off the mark at the end.
“Summer league really showed me how big of a role I could have this year,” Lee said. “I was prepared last year, but we had a really talented team. This win was a big statement win for us.”
Adding an inside presence
Forward Marcus Wallace Jr. is back at Metea Valley for his senior season. It’s his fourth school in four years, but he has never strayed from Aurora.
“You know how that can be,” Wallace said. “I didn’t want to leave Metea in the first place. It was due to family problems.”
Wallace said that he’s now living with his grandmother. Freshman through junior years, he was at West Aurora, Metea Valley and East Aurora.
He had 10 points, seven rebounds and blocked two shots in the loss to Waubonsie.
“We need to stop giving up leads in the second half,” Wallace said. “That was the second time it’s happened. We need to work harder and come out stronger in the second half.
“I feel like I could have done better on the offensive end.”
Metea coach Isaiah Davis praised Wallace afterward.
“Marcus had a good game,” Davis said. “He was active and did some good stuff.”
Things look promising for IMSA
With six of his top seven players back from last season, Illinois Math & Science Academy coach Brad Snead believes his team will be one of the top contenders for the Little Ten Conference title.
The Titans are led by 6-3 junior forward Lota Owamezee, who averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds last season and earned all-conference honors.
Last week, IMSA (4-2) beat Pekin 57-48 in the East Peoria/IVC/Pekin Tournament. It’s only the second time in program history the Titans have beaten a Class 4A team.
