Neuqua Valley junior center Danny Mikuta caught a pass from teammate Cole Kelly in the right corner and swished a 3-pointer.
That’s something Mikuta didn’t do nearly as often as expected this season. So it was no surprise when he found himself wide open at the top of the key on the very next possession of the star-studded Class 4A Bolingbrook Sectional semifinal game against the host Raiders on Wednesday.
As a capacity crowd that included Illinois men’s basketball coach Brad Underwood watched, Mikuta took a full three seconds to decide whether to pass or shoot. He finally chose the latter and hit another 3-pointer.
“I’ve been struggling this whole season from three, so that’s why I was kind of hesitant a lot of the time,” he said. “But the times that I hit them, they were pretty cool.
“When the crowd got excited, I saw that, and it made me so happy.”
Mikuta scored the final seven points of the first half, and Kelly opened the second half by hitting a 3-pointer to get the second-seeded Wildcats back in the game against third-seeded Bolingbrook.
Mikuta scored two more baskets, including a go-ahead layup late in the third quarter. But those weren’t enough as the Raiders went on a closing 20-4 run to win 68-53 and snap Neuqua Valley’s team-record 30-game winning streak.
It was the end of a spectacular season in which the Wildcats (32-2) broke the team record for wins and won DuPage Valley Conference and regional titles.
Mikuta finished with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting against Bolingbrook (25-7), which avenged a 75-69 regular-season loss.
“Danny is a very good shooter,” Neuqua Valley coach Todd Sutton said. “He didn’t have a great year. He is a much better player than that.”
Sutton expected Mikuta to average about 11 points this season, but he rarely reached that number.
“It’s been that way all year,” Sutton said. “Sometimes he misses them. Tonight, he made two, should have made another one.”
In this game, the same could be said of all the Wildcats, who made 18 of 49 shots. Kelly, a highly recruited sophomore forward with an offer from Illinois, scored 17 points on 5-of-20 shooting, and junior guard Mason Martin, an Illinois commit, made 5 of 9 shots for 13 points.
Kelly scored 10 points in the third quarter as Neuqua Valley took a 46-43 lead following Mikuta’s final basket and two free throws by junior guard Carter Coviello.
Martin’s inside basket with 6:45 left in the fourth quarter gave the Wildcats their last lead at 49-45. But the Raiders, who got a game-high 25 points from sophomore guard Brady Pettigrew, another Illinois target, scored the next eight points and made eight of their last nine shots.
“We had an off shooting night, me and Mason, and they played one of their best games,” Kelly said. “When you play below average and they play above average, then you’ve just got to tip your hat and say, ‘Good game,’ and move on to the next.”
Of course, the Wildcats’ next game will come next season. But their entire starting lineup will return.
“We’re very hopeful,” Mikuta said. “Since we’re all coming back, I expect us to be better, and since we set a lot of records this year, I’m hoping to break a couple of them next year with the same guys.”
Mikuta also is hoping to have a breakout senior season. His performance against Bolingbrook gave him a boost.
“It did,” Mikuta said. “Those were big shots, and now that I feel like when people sag, I’ll be confident enough to shoot it.”
Mikuta didn’t know Underwood was in attendance until after the game. But Kelly was aware, just as he is aware of Mikuta’s talent.
“If you were there in our open gyms before the season, he was lighting it up like he was Mason,” Kelly said. “Once he sees one go through, then he starts shooting a little bit more.
“He’s a great player. He’s the hardest worker on the team, and it shows out there on the court.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
