Latest news with #Mporokoso
Chicago Tribune
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Waubonsie Valley's Danyella Mporokoso is the 2024-25 Girls Basketball Player of the Year for Aurora, Elgin, Naperville
Waubonsie Valley junior Danyella Mporokoso plays basketball with a joyous enthusiasm that is matched only by her competitiveness. Watching the 5-foot-7 point guard in action is witnessing an athlete mastering her craft one play at a time, usually while putting on a clinic. As for the source of Mporokoso's enthusiasm, it's as simplistic as it is contagious. 'I just love the sport,' she said. 'I love playing basketball. 'When I'm on the court, that's when I'm at my happiest. It's just a privilege to be on the court, so I think that's where I get my excitement from, just the love for the sport.' Mporokoso, the 2024-25 Beacon-News/Courier-News/Naperville Sun Girls Basketball Player of the Year, has used that love to improve not only her game but also her teammates' games. She guided the Warriors (31-2) to a Class 4A supersectional for the second straight season as they set a program record for fewest losses. Mporokoso, who has increased her scoring every season, averaged 22.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals. She ranks second on Waubonsie Valley's career scoring list with 1,972 points. Even more impressive is Mporokoso's impact on her teammates. The Warriors' other four starters increased their scoring this season as well. 'She's amazing,' Waubonsie Valley junior guard Maya Cobb said. 'She just creates a lot for our team, defensively too. 'Just seeing her play and getting buckets, steals, all that, honestly feeds us all energy, and also her drive for the game literally motivates all of us to do better and be better.' The greatest players make their teammates better. Mporokoso has done that despite being the top focus of every opposing defense's strategy. 'When she draws two or three defenders, I see her reads getting better,' Waubonsie Valley coach Brett Love said. 'I see her making those excellent passes, those extra passes when she brings more defenders. 'She's amazing at being able to create space and get her shot, no matter if it's on the 3-point line or getting to the basket. But she's getting everyone involved.' That has increased the confidence of Mporokoso's teammates while decreasing other teams' abilities to defend the Warriors. The extra pressure doesn't bother her. 'She's used to being pressured,' Love said. 'We work on that a lot. We deny her in practice a lot so she can get used to that because other teams will do it. 'She usually puts the weight on her shoulders and will try to go out there and get it done. She plays at a high level year-round.' That has rubbed off on the Warriors. 'She makes everyone around her better,' Waubonsie Valley senior forward Lily Newton said. 'Her work ethic is contagious. We have a shootaround an hour before practice, and she's there two hours before, getting her own training. 'She makes everyone around her want to be better, not for her but for themselves. It's players like her that push teams to get to state.' The Warriors got there last year, finishing fourth and earning their first state trophy. Their bid for a repeat trip fell just short as they lost to Alton 67-62 in the supersectional on March 3 despite 32 points from Mporokoso, who has 16 Division I offers but intends to wait to make a commitment until the fall. Mporokoso has a shot at breaking Ashley Luke's program and DuPage County scoring record of 2,885 points, although she will probably have to average at least 28 points to do so. But such honors are not what drive Mporokoso. 'Statistically, I don't really know if I have specific goals, maybe more assists and rebounds, just to round out my game,' she said. 'I want to be successful as a team. It would be so nice to get back down to state. That's really my goal — go to state.' Love has watched Mporokoso set and achieve goals throughout her career and expects that to continue. 'We lose Lily, which is a big piece, so she (Mporokoso) may have to step up her scoring, or she may have to step up as more of a leader next year,' Love said. 'But whatever she needs to do, she'll do it.'
Chicago Tribune
04-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Waubonsie Valley's Danyella Mporokoso has ‘a lot of moves in her bag' in supersectional, and she uses them
Waubonsie Valley basketball star Danyella Mporokoso wasn't going to give up. The junior guard knew the score late in the Class 4A Illinois Wesleyan Supersectional on Monday, but she remained confident. 'I always believed in us,' Mporokoso said. 'Even when we had two seconds on the clock, I believed in us to the end, no matter what. Anything can happen.' Mporokoso made a lot of things happen for the Warriors this season. But she couldn't quite will her team to beat Alton, which pulled out a 67-62 victory in Bloomington despite her game-high 32 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Mporokoso still relished the experience in a game that featured 13 lead changes and seven ties. 'Just being able to be on the court and be on a team that I could believe in, no matter the time, no matter the score, was amazing,' she said. The Warriors (31-2) could have used more size. Alton (33-2), which lost 55-53 to Waubonsie Valley in the same matchup last year, dominated inside with its two senior post players, 6-foot-2 center Talia Norman and 6-1 power forward Jarius Powers. Norman and Powers combined for 34 points and 15 rebounds. Led by 5-9 senior center Lily Newton, who will play guard at Wisconsin-Whitewater, Waubonsie Valley limited Norman and Powers in the first half. But that left Alton's shooters wide open, and senior guard Kiyoko Proctor took advantage to score 19 of her 23 points before halftime. Using a full-court press to force seven turnovers, the Warriors opened the third quarter with a 13-0 run to take a 42-38 lead. Mporokoso scored the first seven points, and Newton followed with two 3-pointers. They eventually led by as many as seven points. Alton regrouped and took the lead before Newton, who had 11 points and five assists, assisted junior guard Maya Cobb on a three-point play that gave the Warriors a 59-57 lead with 4:21 left in the fourth quarter. 'We look to get big plays to motivate both ends of the court, so I thought personally it boosted the energy of everybody else,' Cobb said. 'I hope that in that moment everybody wanted to get a defensive stop to offensively get a bucket.' The Warriors actually got two stops but no bucket. Norman's putback with 1:15 left broke a 59-59 tie and began a 7-0 run by Alton. Mporokoso had a feeling that Cobb's go-ahead play would not be the last word. 'It was nice to get up,' Mporokoso said. 'I wouldn't say it was necessarily a momentum switch just because the game was so back and forth. You always have to be conscious of the score.' The score went Alton's way for an obvious reason. 'Their post,' Mporokoso said. 'They smashed the whole game. They were able to use it to their advantage. That was really it.' It was the end of the line for Newton. The four-year starter finished with 995 career points and no regrets. 'I know it's not supposed to, but it kind of felt like any other game,' Newton said. 'I trusted our team, so I wasn't like too nervous. I knew we were going to play our game, and if it didn't go our way, it didn't. 'But we played our hearts out, and that's all we could ask for.' Waubonsie Valley coach Brett Love couldn't ask for more from Mporokoso. 'She had a lot of moves in her bag, and she was able to pull them out,' Love said. 'She was really ready to play, and she came out and showed it and tried to get it done.' Newton is Waubonsie's only senior starter. The rest will be back to try to get it done next season. 'Looking at our seniors now, seeing them disappointed, I don't want to be in the position where I feel this loss again,' Cobb said. 'I hope it brings motivation to continue to work hard in the offseason and also drive next year's playoff season.' Newton is confident it will. 'I'm excited for these girls next year, I really am,' Newton said. 'I know they're going to take this and not let anybody beat them next year.' Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
Chicago Tribune
28-02-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Waubonsie Valley's Maya Pereda regains confidence at critical time. She delivers ‘when we need her' vs. Benet.
Sophomore guard Maya Pereda was feeling a little low after Waubonsie Valley's game on Tuesday. Pereda had attempted just two shots and went scoreless against Bolingbrook in the Class 4A sectional semifinals. 'She had some confidence issues,' Waubonsie Valley coach Brett Love said. 'She don't like when she's not doing things the right way. 'I just told her that she's got to let the game come to her, don't worry about the mistakes. She is one of our X factors. When she gets it going, she can make big shots and contribute in other areas.' Love was confident Pereda would bounce back. So, too, was star junior guard Danyella Mporokoso. 'Last night, I texted her,' Mporokoso said. 'I said I know she's going to show up when we need her.' The encouragement buoyed Pereda's spirits. 'After the game, I asked my coach, 'What can I be doing better?'' Pereda said. 'He just straight up told me it's a confidence issue. If I'm not scoring, focus on the defensive end and get stops. 'Danyella has so much confidence in me, and it helps me so much to be a better player. My team, they believe in me as much as I believe in myself, and it's great just to have that team support.' The 5-foot-7 Pereda played a great supporting role on Thursday. She scored a career-high 12 points, including two tie-breaking baskets in the fourth quarter, and added four rebounds and three assists as the second-seeded Warriors edged the top-seeded Benet 66-61 to win the Bolingbrook Sectional title. 'She was a big part of it,' Mporokoso said. 'She stepped up when we needed it and hit some important shots — and then also some important passes too.' Mporokoso led all players with 22 points and 13 rebounds for Waubonsie Valley (31-1), which advances to play Alton (32-2) in the Illinois Wesleyan Supersectional in Bloomington at 7 p.m. Monday. Junior guard Arie Garcia-Evans had 13 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals, and junior guard Maya Cobb added 12 points. The Warriors needed every bit of that production because Benet (29-3) roared back from a 23-6 deficit behind junior guard Bridget Rifenburg, who scored 13 of her team-high 16 points in the second half, including a pair of game-tying layups. But Pereda answered both times, hitting a jumper to break a 48-48 tie and then taking a kick-out from Mporokoso and knocking down a 3-pointer for a 53-50 lead with 4:14 left in the fourth quarter. 'I was just hoping I would get my shot off and straighten up,' Pereda said. 'I was relaxing because I knew there were still parts of the game left. 'We work a lot on making that shot possible, get a nice rhythm, and I just decided to take it. It went in.' As Mporokoso felt it would. 'Oh, yeah,' Mporokoso said. 'I felt that come off. I'm like, 'That's a good pass,' and I know she can hit it.' That's not all Pereda did. With the Warriors up 55-52, Pereda drew a charging foul on Rifenburg, who seconds later fouled out with 1:26 left. Mporokoso then hit two free throws. 'She was standing in the right place at the right time,' Love said of Pereda. 'We always talk about helping early, stepping up in the gaps, and she took a chance and was able to get it.' Pereda was floored but bounced up quickly. 'It didn't hurt that bad,' she said. 'That was a great adrenaline rush. To get that charge felt great, and at that point, the momentum shifted, and it was just straight on for us.' Pereda was also in the right spot when she rebounded Benet senior guard Aria Mazza 's missed 3-point try that would have tied the game with 8.9 seconds left. Mporokoso then made two free throws to clinch it as Waubonsie Valley beat the Redwings in the sectional final for the second straight season. 'I told them I'm disappointed for them, I'm not disappointed in them,' Benet coach Joe Kilbride said. 'They fought and really battled to get back in the game and give themselves a chance. 'It stings. They've been working for a year to get back here, and I liked our chances.' But Mporokoso liked the Warriors' chances, too, and knew Pereda would be ready to help in any way possible. 'She brings a lot of IQ,' Mporokoso said. 'She watches so much film. She really learns the game, and then she shares that with everyone. If she sees something, she tells everyone else, and we get to learn from her.'
Chicago Tribune
26-02-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Waubonsie Valley's Arie Garcia-Evans ‘took it personal.' Pushed around on her birthday, she strikes back.
Arie Garcia-Evans and her Waubonsie Valley teammates were on the ropes after absorbing more than a few literal body blows against Bolingbrook in the Class 4A sectional semifinals on Tuesday. But the junior guard made sure the Warriors, who reached the state semifinals last year, were not counted out on her 17th birthday. Garcia-Evans got into a scrap after diving on the floor for a loose ball early, and it lit a fire under her. 'I think it helped motivate me,' she said. 'I got heavy in my energy after the half.' Indeed, Garcia-Evans scored 14 of her 15 points in the second half and also had seven steals and six rebounds as the second-seeded Warriors rallied back from a 14-point deficit to beat the third-seeded host Raiders 57-44. Junior guard Danyella Mporokoso, who scored 17 of her game-high 24 points in the second half and had a team-high 13 rebounds, was thrilled that Garcia-Evans could deliver for Waubonsie Valley (30-1), which advances to play top-seeded Benet (29-2) in the Bolingbrook Sectional championship game at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. 'We couldn't have done it without her — the energy she brings, all the juice she's got,' Mporokoso said. 'She played such a huge role. Defensively, we really needed her.' Bolingbrook (20-12) ran roughshod in the first half, using their physical play and accurate shooting to take an early 18-4 lead. The Warriors absorbed the initial surge but trailed 32-18 early in the third quarter, and Garcia-Evans was still seething about the early confrontation. 'She took it personal,' Waubonsie Valley coach Brett Love said. 'She asked me, 'Are we up pressuring?' I asked her, 'Do you want to get up?' She said 'yes,' so we let her get up and pressure the ball. Everybody else stayed back and kind of cut off passing lanes, and she went to work.' That began paying dividends for the Warriors midway through the third quarter. The Raiders led 36-24 when Garcia-Evans made a steal and a layup to start an incredible 21-4 run in which she had 12 points and three steals. 'It felt good,' she said. 'Coming out of the halftime, we knew we needed to pick it up because we were down. I didn't want to go home. None of us wanted to go home, so we picked it up, and it felt good.' Mporokoso's driving layup capped the huge run that gave the Warriors a 45-40 lead. Bolingbrook answered with a basket, but Waubonsie Valley senior forward Lily Newton hit a 3-pointer, and then Garcia-Evans got a rebound and went coast to coast for a layup Thirty seconds later, Garcia-Evans was knocked to the ground after grabbing a rebound. That led to Mporokoso's pull-up jumper that made it 52-43 with 2:21 remaining. 'Defense, I would say, was the main thing to get my ignition going,' Garcia-Evans said. 'That helped a lot.' Garcia-Evans' help was what the Warriors needed to extend their winning streak to 20 games. 'I don't know what we would do without her,' Mporokoso said. 'She did amazing. I'm just so happy we turned it around.' Waubonsie Valley did it with a team effort. Junior guard Maya Cobb had 10 points and four steals, and Newton added six points, four rebounds and two assists. 'We just realized how much this means to us, how much going to state means to us, so at halftime we just wanted it more, and we came out and showed that,' Garcia-Evans said. 'We've all played with each other for a couple years, so that helps, and we have older people on the team that can help calm us down when we need it and get us to where we need to go.' Garcia-Evans knew exactly where she was going next after her teammates serenaded her with a rendition of 'Happy Birthday' during the postgame celebration. 'I'm going to go out to eat and spend time with my family,' she said. 'I haven't been home all day.'
Chicago Tribune
17-02-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Kris Mporokoso is unfazed by Waubonsie Valley's win over Warren at Indian Creek Shootout. ‘We know what we can do.'
Sophomore guard/forward Kris Mporokoso is aware of the doubters who say Waubonsie Valley's strength of schedule isn't as strong as most of the other state championship contenders. But he doesn't seem too bothered by it, either. 'You can't really listen to outside people,' Mporokoso said. 'We know what we can do. We know what we're capable of. We do it in practice every day, so we had to make a statement this game.' Waubonsie Valley made a big statement Saturday at the Indian Creek Shootout. Illinois State-bound senior point guard Tyreek Coleman totaled 22 points, eight rebounds and three steals as the Warriors pulled off a thrilling 60-56 victory over formidable Warren. Senior forward Moses Wilson finished with 19 points, six rebounds and three steals for Waubonsie (27-1), while senior guard Joshua Tinney added nine points and four assists. Anybody doubt the Warriors now? 'We let it fuel us,' said Waubonsie coach Andrew Schweitzer, whose team is seeded second behind Bolingbrook at the Class 4A Benet Sectional. 'There's actually a coach in our sectional that seeded us fifth, the only one to do that. 'I won't call him out by name but you can put that in the paper. Unbelievable.' The Warriors got off to an unbelievable start against Warren, sinking 10 of 14 shots in jumping out to a 24-10 lead after a frenetic first quarter. 'It's all about preparation,' Mporokoso said. 'On our bus ride here, no one was talking. 'We were all serious. We weren't laughing or giggling. We were all locked in.' Mporokoso doesn't get a lot of opportunities to shoot, but he locks in when he does. He had eight points, including a crucial 3-pointer, but the Blue Devils (20-10) would rally to force a 53-53 tie on a turnaround jumper by Jack Wolf. Coleman answered with a putback to put Waubonsie back on top. On the next possession, Tinney found Mporokoso open in the left corner for a 3-pointer that made it 58-53 with 1:25 remaining. 'That was my moment,' Mporokoso said. 'I just had to hit it. I had to shine.' Schweitzer had a feeling Mporokoso would, too. 'We've been telling him all year he can be as good as he wants to be, and to see him be aggressive like that — he's a special, special talent,' Schweitzer said. 'Everyone talks about Tyreek and Moses, but if he keeps moving forward like that, he can be a real X-factor for us.' Delivering in the clutch left Mporokoso almost speechless. 'I can't even give it a word,' Mporokoso said. 'It was amazing. The bench was going crazy.' It was just the beginning of a crazy finish that saw the Warriors turn the ball over twice in the final minute. The Blue Devils cut the deficit to 58-56 on a 3-pointer by Owen Squires and then had a chance to tie or win. But with 5.5 seconds left, Wilson intercepted an inbounds pass along the sideline and threw down his fourth dunk of the game to cap the scoring. 'He just threw the ball away, so I just went over and got it,' Wilson said. 'I tried to waste time a little bit and then I got my dunk. It's a great feeling. 'We drove an hour to come out here. Guys were sleeping on the bus, so we came in and had a lot of bounce and energy in the beginning. We completely executed and we were all stoked.' Especially since it was statement the Warriors wanted to make. 'Do not count us out,' Wilson said. 'We can compete with anybody, so we're going to play hard and give it our all.'
