Waubonsie Valley star Danyella Mporokoso grabbed a defensive rebound, turned and threw a baseball pass the length of the floor to fellow senior guard Arie Garcia-Evans.
“It was funny because I thought I threw it too hard, and then she got it,” Mporokoso said.
Indeed, Garcia-Evans, who is the team’s all-time assists leader, made a great catch on the throw by the team’s all-time points leader and then scored on a layup.
“I had to run on that one,” Garcia-Evans said.
The basket by Garcia-Evans, which came with 1:44 left in the fourth quarter, was the final one in the second-seeded Warriors’ scintillating 62-50 victory over third-seeded Naperville Central in a Class 4A East Aurora Sectional semifinal on Tuesday night.
For the third consecutive season, Waubonsie Valley (31-3) will face top-seeded Benet (27-4) in the sectional final at 7 p.m. Thursday.
“It’s exciting,” Mporokoso said. “This is our last year of high school basketball, so every opportunity we have to play another game is something to be grateful for, something to put our all into.”
Mporokoso and Garcia-Evans gave their all in a brilliant performance as the Warriors avenged two regular-season losses to the DuPage Valley Conference champion Redhawks (25-7).
In Mporokoso’s first game since breaking Waubonsie Valley’s scoring record, she poured in a game-high 35 points to go with seven rebounds and two assists. Garcia-Evans added 12 points and two assists while playing great defense on Naperville Central senior guard Trinity Jones, a McDonald’s All-American.
The Illinois State-bound Mporokoso, who needs just 49 points to reach 3,000 in her career, scored 11 points during an opening 16-5 run. Following a timeout, the Redhawks put the 6-foot-2 Jones, a Clemson recruit, on the 5-8 Mporokoso.
The moved played right into Waubonsie Valley coach Brett Love’s hands.
“That’s the matchup we wanted,” Love said. “We put a lot of emphasis in practice to limit what (Jones) does and the type of defense that she plays, and Dani came out ready.
“When she tried to reach behind to back tap, Dani threw it out and was able to get to the basket.”
Mporokoso made seven straight shots, beginning with a steal and a layup. She then assisted on junior guard Maya Pereda’s 3-pointer that gave the Warriors a 33-14 halftime lead.
“It don’t matter who is guarding Dani,” Garcia-Evans said. “She can take anybody.”
The Redhawks cut the gap to 40-33 late in the third quarter, but Mporokoso answered with a 3-pointer. Garcia-Evans scored seven of her points in the fourth quarter and assisted on a 3-pointer by Mporokoso.
“We wanted to control the tempo of the game, and I thought they really did a great job,” Love said of his two four-year starters. “Many times, Danyella will get open, and she knocks down shots, and any time Arie can get into the lane, she does something great with it.
“So wanted to stick to our strengths — Arie getting to the basket, Dani shooting the ball and playing in-between. I’m very proud of them in staying composed and disciplined.”
That discipline was especially important on the defensive end. The 5-5 Garcia-Evans guarded Jones and held her to three points in the first half.
“That was amazing,” Love said. “That’s exactly what we needed. Arie is a tough player. She hits the ground a lot, and she’s always playing taller than she is. She does well when she’s guarding the best player.”
Jones finished with a team-high 19 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Much of that production came after the game was out of reach.
“I’ve watched film, talked to my coaches about how to guard her,” Garcia-Evans said. “It’s just about personnel and then staying disciplined.”
Mporokoso and Garcia-Evans have enjoyed a productive partnership over the past four years. While Mporokoso is the headliner, Garcia-Evans is more than just an important sidekick.
“She brings so much, not just defensively, but rebounding,” Mporokoso said. “Offensively, it’s being able to handle the ball, being able to handle pressure, but also just being able to collaborate on the court, figure out what we need, what we’re looking for, what we’re going to do.”
Garcia-Evans has 506 career assists, including 174 this season.
“It means a lot that I can help my teammates get these points, get this win,” she said. “To know I’ll leave a mark at Waubonsie means a lot.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
