Five Takeaways: Waukee 45 vs Valley 44
West Des Moines — Waukee executed a major come-from-behind win, on the road, against a key rival. The Warriors have two wins — both by one point — in as many tries against Valley this season. It was a game…
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Continue ReadingWest Des Moines — Waukee executed a major come-from-behind win, on the road, against a key rival. The Warriors have two wins — both by one point — in as many tries against Valley this season.
It was a game of runs. Waukee got a 3s from Michael Vicente and Andrew Curran to start the game, and went up 6-2. Then Valley rattled off 19 straight points to end the first quarter up 21-6.
Things normalized after that, for a little bit. Valley’s biggest lead was late in the second quarter, 35-19.
That’s when Waukee made it’s run. A Vicente steal and bucket to end the second quarter carried the Warriors into halftime. Then they started the third quarter with an 11-0 run. At that point, it was 35-32 Valley. And from then on, it was any team’s game.
The contest went back-and-forth and Waukee’s defense continued to stymie Valley, which scored just nine second half points. Dylan Jones started the fourth with a bucket and foul at the rim. The three-point play brought Waukee to within one.
In the end, it was a couple clutch free-throws from Vicente that would ultimately secure the win for Waukee. Vicente was magnificent in this game, going for a game-high 21 points.
For Valley, it was Trayvon Williams who excelled, scoring 14 points. But he he was held scoreless in the second half.
Team Scoring
Waukee — 6 15 12 12 — 45
Valley — 21 14 2 7 — 44
Individual Scoring
Waukee: Michael Vicente 21, Dylan Jones 10, Tucker DeVries 6, Andrew Curran 3, Dante Jenkins 3, Payton Sandfort 2.
Valley: Trayvon Williams 14, Jake Auer 11, Evan Obia 7, Sam Stevens 5, Aguek Deng 3, Drew Jirak 2, Will Berg 2.
Five Takeaways
Evan Obia
Berg and Obia D Up
Valley may not have gotten the W, and Evan Obia and Will Berg may not have lit up the scoreboard; but the two college prospects showed some serious strength on the defensive end. Obia’s lateral quickness was terrific when he found himself man-up with a guy. He even caused a steal or two with his harassing on-ball D. Berg had the unenviable task of guarding Waukee big Dylan Jones, and was terrific. Aside from a couple hiccups against Jones, one of the state’s best combo-forwards, Berg was outstanding, using his superior height and length to give the Waukee star fits all day.
Vicente Takeover
From the beginning, through the middle and into the end, Waukee senior wing Michael Vicente was terrific for the Warriors. His 21 points were a game high, and it was his steal and breakaway bucket at the very end of the second quarter that gave Waukee life and spurred on a big third quarter run. He canned three 3s in the game and canned four clutch free-throws in the fourth quarter to help seal the win for Waukee.
Waukee’s Michael Vicente with the good hands, then gets rewarded with the tough breakaway buzzer-beating bucket #iahsbkb pic.twitter.com/rLcsZdRNJT
— TJ Rushing (@TjRushing) February 9, 2019
Runs
Two very big runs was the story in this game, first Valley then Waukee. Waukee was up 6-2 early (that doesn’t count as a run), and that’s when Valley made its move, reeling off 19 straight points to end the first quarter. The second quarter was more normal, Valley scored 14 and Waukee scored 15, but Waukee scored the last two, on an impressive Michael Vicente steal and bucket (see above); that bled into 11 additional straight points in the third quarter. After the 13-0 run by Waukee it just a one-point deficit, 35-34, for the Warriors. From that point on, the Waukee let the momentum, and some clutch free-throw shooting carry them to the big road win.
How Good?
Waukee was the favorite to win a state title throughout the first half of season, that was when star senior point guard Noah Hart was playing. After his leg injury, the Warriors naturally took a big hit. They’re still really good, but probably not the favorites anymore to win a 4A title. Rather one in a slew of teams that has a chance. Valley certainly has a chance to make it not only to state, but a deep run once they get there. The second half collapse today was not a good look. But they looked dominant in the first half, and have the personnel of a well-rounded state-title caliber squad. Valley coach BJ Windhorst always has his guys in peak form come late-Februaury, this season will be no different.
DeVries not Shy
Just a sophomore, Darian DeVries didn’t have his most eye-opening performance of the season, and he’s had plenty, but there was one thing about him that stood out: his willingness to take over in crunch time. With the game hanging in the balance late, the Waukee guys were passing it around, looking for a perfect shot. But the Valley D was staunch, a perfect shot wasn’t gonna happen. So DeVries took matters into his own hands, with a tough drive into the lane and a quick floater that missed; he corralled his own miss and converted a lay-in, that gave Waukee a 39-38 lead. It was one of the biggest moments of the game; and DeVries is just a sophomore.