Jordan leads Waubonsie Valley past Oswego
By Drake Skleba
Waubonsie Valley's 5-foot-7 sophomore G Erica Jordan scored nine of the Warriors 11 fourth-quarter points, and rebounded Oswego's Samiya Wright's last-second miss that locked down a 52-50 win in a battle of teams champing at the bit to break into Premium Preps' Sweet 16 poll
Host Waubonsie Valley (15-2) led 52-46 with 1:06 left in this thriller, then had to survive a furious rally by the Lady Panthers.
Wright's layup with 50 seconds left brought Oswego within 52-48, before Waubonsie Valley's Keiera Ray (nine points, eight rebounds) missed a one-and-one. Oswego's Brittany Collier (15 points, five rebounds) scored on a layup that made the score 52-50. Collier then stole the ball and the Panthers looked for some more magic.
Oswego (15-2) head coach Chad Pohlman called a timeout with 16 seconds left to set up a play for Wright. She got the ball and launched a 15-footer that missed. The omnipresent Jordan grabbed the rebound that secured the win.
"We wanted the play to go to Samiya," said Pohlman. "She got a good look, but just missed. Tip your hat to Waubonsie Valley. They played great defense. This was a battle between two quality teams and I'm proud of our effort tonight."
Waubonsie Valley used a 17-6 outburst in the second quarter to open up a 30-22 lead at the half. Junior guard Tanysha Walls and Ray each had nine points to lead the Warriors at the break.
In the third quarter, sophomore G Becky Williford scored nine of her 13 points for the Warriors, but Oswego closed to 41-35 after three periods.
The fourth quarter belonged to Jordan. After a three-point basket in the second quarter that accounted for her only points through three quarters, she took over.
With 7:31 left in the game, Jordan had a steal and layup to give the Warriors a 43-37 lead. Jordan scored again with 4:55 and 3:40 remaining to extend the Warrior lead to 47-40.
With three minutes left in the game, Jordan picked up her second steal of a quarter and nailed a free throw for a 48-43 lead. The soph concluded her fourth quarter outburst with two free throws at the 2:11 mark.
"I didn't do much in the first three quarters," said Jordan. "I really played well in the fourth quarter and am very happy to help get us this huge victory."
Jordan finished with an even dozen points for the night to go with four rebounds for the victorious Warriors.
Waubonsie's Walls added 13 points. Walls also had four boards and a pair of big steals in the second half.
"This was a big win for us, but we continue to have problems at the free throw line," said Waubonsie Valley head coach Kim Connell. "Erica had a huge fourth quarter for us to help us win this game."
Oswego (15-2) received nine points and 11 rebounds from sophomore F Paige Harmon.
