By Patrick Mooney
ELGIN – Waubonsie Valley saw its mirror image in Elgin, and the reflection shattered its perfect conference record. What could have been a Friday night celebration scene -- with the Warriors clinching a share of the Upstate Eight title -- instead ended in a 73-58 defeat.
The Maroons did a huge favor for idle Neuqua Valley (20-7, 8-1), which is now tied atop the UEC standings with Waubonsie (20-5, 8-1). Neuqua concludes its conference schedule at Larkin (1-22, 0-9) on Friday, when Waubonsie will travel to St. Charles East (12-12, 5-4).
The UEC does not recognize the head-to-head matchup as a tiebreaker in this case, meaning Waubonsie’s win over Neuqua in January does not carry extra weight, and the two rivals will be forced to share the championship if they win out.
Elgin (15-9, 6-3) relied on the formula Waubonsie had used through the season’s first 24 games – extended man-to-man defense, explosive guard play and timely 3-point shooting.
“We came out slow, we gave ‘em some momentum,” Waubonsie senior guard Justin Peaster said. “I think they just wanted it more than us at the end of the night.”
Elgin guard Armani Williams buried six 3-pointers and scored 30 points to rearrange the UEC championship race. The Warriors, playing without a sense of urgency, committed 22 turnovers and watched as Elgin closed out the game with a 22-11 run.
“We just were completely flat tonight,” Waubonsie guard Kevin VandenBerg said. “They outplayed us.”
Elgin 73, Waubonsie Valley 58
WV 14 12 21 11 - 58
Elgin 13 16 24 20 - 73
Waubonsie Valley (20-5, 8-1 UEC)
VandenBerg 3 0-0 6, Peaster 5 4-6 16, Daniels 5 3-5 14, Johnson 2 1-2 6, Obendorf 1 0-0 2, Smith 3 2-2 8, Strickland 1 0-0 2, Stokowski 1 0-0 2, Castro 1 0-0 2. Totals: 22 10-15 58.
Elgin (15-9, 6-3 UEC)
Granger 7 2-2 17, A. Williams 8 8-9 30, Howse 2 0-0 4, Stewart 1 1-2 3, Redburg 7 2-2 16, Roth 1 0-0 3, Grens 0 0-1 0. Totals: 26 13-16 73
3-pointers: Waubonsie 4 – Peaster 2, Daniels, Johnson. Elgin 8 – A. Williams 6, Granger, Roth.
Rebounds: Waubonsie 24 (Peaster, Johnson, Obendorf 5), Elgin 18 (Granger, Stewart 5).
Turnovers: Waubonsie 22, Elgin 11.
Fouls: Waubonsie 12, Elgin 12.
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