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Sports
Cutting it closer : Sports : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisCutting it closer
| Oswego East girls' basketball team gets second chance at Metea Valley in title game
| by Laura M. Medina
| 1/3/2013
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Reaching the championship matchup at its home tournament was a significant milestone for the Oswego East girls' basketball team and its continuously-growing program.
While winning the title would have been the icing on the cake, head coach Abe Carretto still viewed the Wolves' run as successful despite their 59-53 loss at the Holiday Classic last Saturday night.
Oswego East (8-7) opened the season with a tough 3-6 mark heading into its Southwest Prairie Conference contest against Plainfield Central on Dec. 11. However, a win in that game and another four straight victories - thanks in part to a 3-0 start to its tournament - put the Wolves in a more promising position for their 2012-13 slate.
It was that five-game winning streak that carried Oswego East to last Saturday's championship meeting with surging Metea Valley, which opened up an 8-2 lead in the first 3:19 of the game and appeared ready to run away with the victory.
"We've improved a ton since the Plainfield Central game (a 72-31 win on Dec. 11)," Carretto said. "To go from 3-6 to now, we've improved a ton, and most of it has been on the defensive end. We're also scoring more points. For us, we've found our group of five, and that's the nice thing with the tournament is that we've figured out more pieces to our puzzle."
Oswego East, with a bit of momentum of its own, ran off six straight points to knot the score just a minute later.
That drive, however, didn't last for long as the Mustangs responded with a 9-3 run of their own to close out the quarter. Metea Valley point guard and tournament MVP Lori Obendorf (28 points, nine rebounds) had seven of those points, while senior guard LeRoyia Campbell had a three for Oswego East.
It was the Mustangs that had the upper hand throughout the remainder of the next quarter, with Obendorf notching seven points and guard Nia Flowers adding six. Campbell (seven rebounds, three steals, and two assists) scored five points for the Wolves, who trailed 32-23 heading into halftime.
"Metea does a good job of trying to slow you down on the offensive end, and you can try to push it here or there, but once they get back, it's just a matter of finding the gaps in their zone," Carretto said.
"We had some good turnovers defensively, but I think their driving and kicking it out to Obendorf ... to me, that's what hurt us the most. Anytime they got her the ball, they scored."
Oswego East cut into the lead at the start of the third, using a 10-4 scoring stretch to pull within three points (36-33). Campbell was responsible for all of the Wolves' offense in that span, finishing with a team-high 24 points en route to earning All-Tournament honors.
"With (senior forward) Brittany McWaine and (junior guard Venita Parsons) being captains, they're a little more vocal and know what's happening on the court, and when LeRoyia plays well and gets things going, it's just a bonus," Carretto said of his trio of returning players.
But even their efforts weren't enough to hold off the ensuing Metea Valley surge (8-2) with 3:06 left in the third. Guard Jenny Voytell had five points for the Mustangs, who held a 46-38 advantage heading into the fourth.
"The main thing is that the first time we played them (to a 57-37 on Nov. 16), they had a ton of second chances, and (last weekend), we cut them down a bunch," Carretto said. "We did a better job of crashing the glass and boxing out. Sometimes, you've just got to be a little more aggressive."
Oswego East could have easily rolled over in the quarter, but instead, it chose to keep pace with the opposition, eventually moving to within six of the lead (54-48) with a crucial 32.4 seconds left in the game.
The Wolves continued chipping away at the lead, and a three-pointer from All-Tournament honoree Parsons (13 points) put them at just a 55-51 deficit with 18.1 seconds remaining, but it wasn't enough time, as they needed to foul in order to stop the clock and reset their offense.
They ended up sending guard Bria Walker to the line twice, and she made all four free throws to seal the 59-53 championship victory for the Mustangs.
In spite of the outcome, though, Oswego East enters the second half of its season with a renewed confidence that it didn't have during its 3-6 start. Carretto sees his team's improved record as the impetus necessary to boosting their chances for success in the competitive SPC.
"I think the one thing that we're liking is that I know we're in a position to compete in our conference again," Carretto said. "I think we have a good opportunity with the way we're playing now to make a run at the title.
"With the improvements we've made, teams are now (being reminded that) we can win. I think we're ready to roll with the second half of the season even though we lost here (at the Holiday Classic). I'm looking forward to the competition now."
Oswego East will once again have a crack at that SPC competition when it returns to its home hardwood on Tuesday against Romeoville.
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