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Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Nick Lambert answers call on mound as Waubonsie Valley rolls past West Aurora. Key factor? ‘Better every time out.'
Senior right-hander Nick Lambert was definitely ready to take the mound Saturday morning for Waubonsie Valley. He just wasn't sure that was going to happen before the playoffs began. After Owen Roberts pitched the Warriors to Thursday's win, however, the coaching staff was faced with a decision — start Lambert or go with Seth Gilliland? Lambert, indeed, got the call. And he had to focus in quickly. 'I found out a day or two ago, so I had to mentally prepare for that,' Lambert said. 'I had a little bit of nerves, but I knew all I had to do was throw strikes, pitch my game and it would be fine.' Fine would be an understatement. Lambert cruised through five innings for the host Warriors in a 15-0 win over West Aurora in the Class 4A Waubonsie Valley Regional championship game. Lambert (7-1) struck out four and scattered four hits without a walk for Waubonsie (21-12), which plays at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday against the host Porters (24-13) in a Lockport Sectional semifinal. The Warriors scored 11 runs in the fourth inning to break Saturday's game open against West Aurora (27-8), sending 17 batters to the plate. It took pressure off Lambert and the Warriors. 'We've had three guys throwing the ball well all season,' Waubonsie coach Bryan Acevedo said. 'Going down to two games and two pitchers, we felt good. Nick has gotten better every time out. 'That was kind of the deciding factor. It was definitely a tough call. Seth has been really good.' Ryan Lucas produced two hits, including a double, scored twice and drove in three in the fourth for Waubonsie. Nick Cerilli added a two-run double. Roberts, Hiroshy Wong and Seth Nielson each had two hits, while Roberts and Nielson also drove in two runs apiece. Mason Atkins, Henry Hinkle, Eliseo Liscano and Chase Yusi had hits for West Aurora. Having three solid starting pitchers is a luxury in the regular season. In the playoffs, when two can carry the load to state, difficult choices need to be made. That was the case Saturday. But Lambert delivered exactly what Acevedo was hoping. 'He commands the zone,' Acevedo said. 'He throws three pitches for a strike. He's not going to walk you, so you're going to have to beat us when he's on the mound. That's what we saw.' Still, Lambert did find himself in a two-out jam in the bottom of the third inning. An error followed by a single from Liscano had the Blackhawks threatening in a scoreless game. Lambert got a strikeout to end the threat and then Waubonsie opened the floodgates. 'I think that's what carried our momentum,' Lambert said. 'Everybody had nerves, but once we got out of that inning, everybody was more relieved.' Josh Hung led off the fourth inning with a single and Shane Torres bunted him to second. 'We were playing for one and Nick was going to keep us in it,' Acevedo said. Waubonsie had other ideas, though, and the bottom of the order got it started. Lucas, Cerilli and Nielson combined for four RBIs to get the Warriors on the board and they kept going from there. 'The fourth inning there was like the inning from hell,' West Aurora coach John Reeves said. 'We couldn't get out of the inning. Honestly, I don't even know how to describe it.' The inning went so long that Lambert had to go down to the bullpen to stay loose. He was unfazed, retiring West Aurora's final six hitters in order to end the game. 'I just knew I had to go back out there and shut them down,' Lambert said. 'You can't give them any momentum.' And now, the momentum is with Waubonsie heading into the sectional. 'We like our chances,' Acevedo said. 'If we play clean defense and score a couple of runs for (Roberts), he's going to give us a chance to win a baseball game.'
Chicago Tribune
01-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Cade Valek's dunks put an exclamation point on Waubonsie Valley's win in the regional final: ‘He's all in'
At a time when most players are feeling weary, Waubonsie Valley senior forward Cade Valek still has some spring in his step. Maybe more spring than he had a month ago. The 6-foot-7 Valek, who has committed to play soccer at Alabama-Huntsville, was playing club soccer this winter in addition to his basketball duties as the Warriors' main big man. 'Cade is an absolute animal,' Waubonsie Valley coach Andrew Schweitzer said. 'I think it's his soccer background. No one quite has a motor like him. 'He's still been playing soccer up until the last few weeks, and we finally had a conversation where, 'You know what, dude? We've got a chance to do something special.' And he's all in.' Indeed, Valek is taking a break from soccer in order to focus on the Warriors. 'It's been helpful for basketball just because I have fresh legs,' he said. 'I haven't been dragging as much, so it's been good to focus everything on basketball right now, especially with the team we have and the opportunities we have. 'I don't want to take nothing for granted.' Waubonsie Valley fans take senior combo guard Moses Wilson 's dunking ability for granted, but they don't often get to see Valek dunk. That changed in a big way Friday, when Valek threw down powerhouse dunks on three consecutive possessions down the stretch to help the second-seeded Warriors close out a 70-52 victory against seventh-seeded Neuqua Valley in the Class 4A Waubonsie Valley Regional championship game in Aurora. Wilson scored a game-high 21 points and also had six steals for Waubonsie Valley (31-2), which won back-to-back regional titles for the first time since 2007-08 and advances to the Benet Sectional semifinals to play the third-seeded host Redwings (28-5) at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Senior guard Tyreek Coleman added 12 points and six assists, sophomore guard Kris Mporokoso scored 15 points and senior guard Joshua Tinney had 12 points and four steals. Sophomore guard Mason Martin paced Neuqua Valley with (20-13) with 12 points. Valek, a defender in soccer, doesn't get many chances to shoot. Yet he made all four attempts against the Wildcats, who trailed 59-49 when he dunked off a pass from Wilson. It was the start of an amazing sequence during which Mporokoso found Valek for a second dunk. After Neuqua Valley freshman phenom Cole Kelly converted a three-point play, Coleman set up Valek for a third dunk with 3:20 left in the fourth quarter. 'That's the most dunks I've ever seen him get,' Schweitzer said. Valek and Wilson have been working on their jumping in practice, which Valek said has helped. But Wilson wouldn't accept credit. 'No, that's all him,' Wilson said. 'We sort of take pride in it. He knows he's explosive. He knows he's tall. So he's been executing and getting on the end of it, for sure. 'It was a great feeling just seeing Cade getting up there. Honestly, I couldn't have been more excited.' Schweitzer was actually more excited about what came next. Valek took a charge with his team leading by 18 points. 'That was awesome,' Schweitzer said. 'Nothing gets me more excited than a charge. It's sacrificial. It's putting your body on the line for your team. Loved it.' But Valek, who finished with nine points and five rebounds, wasn't done. On Neuqua Valley's next possession, he made his only steal of the game and followed with his only assist — a terrific alley-oop pass to Wilson for a monster dunk with 2:45 left. 'I thought that was going over,' Schweitzer said. 'But the reality is you can throw it anywhere and usually Moses is going to go up and get it.' Wilson got the ball at least a foot over the rim. 'He gave me a little-too-perfect pass,' Wilson said. 'Mind you, we've been working on this all practices. We finally got one down in a game.' For Valek, it was an unanticipated exclamation point to a memorable victory. 'I'm not going to lie,' he said. 'I wasn't expecting that opportunity to come. But, hey, we got it. We'll take it.' The Warriors will take that kind of win too. 'When Kris is shooting like that and I'm getting downhill and 'Reek and Mo are always going to do their thing and Cade's getting rebounds, we're pretty unstoppable,' Tinney said. 'Cade is a huge part. You don't see it sometimes, but he does a lot, like boxing out, getting rebounds, and when we give him the ball, he does finish.'
Chicago Tribune
25-02-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Ethan Vahl, a precocious freshman point guard, leads Oswego to easy win in playoff opener. ‘Going to be awesome.'
Before making his playoff debut Monday night, Oswego freshman Ethan Vahl got some advice from teammate Dasean Patton. It was the same spiel that Patton, a senior forward, has been giving Vahl all season. 'Really, just go out there and play your hardest,' Patton said. 'My four years came really fast, so just go out there and play your hardest every game.' That seems to be Vahl's default setting. The precocious point guard looked at ease in tallying 12 points, a game-high six rebounds and two assists as the host 15th-seeded Panthers rolled past 18th-seeded Plainfield Central 60-29 in a Class 4A Waubonsie Valley Regional quarterfinal. Oswego (12-19) advances to play second-seeded Waubonsie (29-2) at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the semifinals. The Panthers beat Plainfield Central (2-28) twice during the regular season and thus were heavy favorites entering Monday's postseason opener. Oswego controlled the action from the get-go as Vahl assisted on a layup by sophomore guard Graham Schwab to kick off the scoring. Vahl had five points, including a 3-pointer, and four rebounds in the beginning 16-3 run. 'It was exciting,' Vahl said. 'First playoff game, got the win. I bring a lot of energy, I would say. 'Also, I like to get my teammates better.' Vahl did a good job of that against the Wildcats, making sure everyone got involved. Six players, including all five starters, scored during a first half that saw Patton score nine of his game-high 13 points to stake Oswego to a 34-10 halftime lead. Patton, a three-year varsity player, has been impressed with the poise shown by Vahl, who made 5 of 8 shots Monday. 'Being a varsity point guard is a lot, and him being a freshman and what he is doing right now is really awesome,' Patton said. 'He's leading our team. He's getting everybody going. 'I really like the way he has been playing.' Vahl and reserve guard MJ Johnson, who made both of his shots and contributed four points against the Wildcats, are the only freshmen on Oswego's roster. They have fit right in with their older teammates like Patton and senior center Hunter O'Neill, who came off the bench Monday to score 11 points on 5 for 6 shooting. 'I'm very grateful for being a freshman on varsity,' Vahl said. 'The seniors really accepted me into this program. They just have a lot of love for me.' That figures to continue in the coming years. Patton, who has offers from North Central College, North Park and Carthage, won't be around to see Vahl's progress, but he's confident it is coming. 'He's going to be awesome,' Patton said. 'I think he's going to be one of the best players around because of what he's doing right now as a freshman on varsity. 'He's still got three more years to improve, so I think when he's a senior, he's going to be really ready to go.' Vahl knows the Panthers must be ready to go from the opening tip against Waubonsie, which routed Oswego 76-42 on Dec. 14. It's why he came out with urgency against Plainfield Central. The Panthers will be big underdogs Wednesday, but that's just fine with Patton. 'I'm really glad we played them at the beginning of the season,' Patton said. 'They're one of the top teams in the state, so it was a good wake-up call playing them earlier this year, so we really know what we need to do.' Vahl knows what he must do Wednesday — and in the future. 'I'm still looking forward to getting better,' Vahl said. 'There's always room for that, and I'm just going to keep working.'
Chicago Tribune
18-02-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
At 5-foot-4, West Aurora's Maya Rabadan isn't your typical post player. But it doesn't bother her. ‘I like change.'
West Aurora junior Maya Rabadan was really surprised last season when she was asked to play in the post. That was understandable considering the 5-foot-4 Rabadan, one of the shortest players in the program, had never played inside. 'I was a guard freshman year and halfway through sophomore year we lost a player, so they just put me (at center),' Rabadan said. 'I'm not the tallest, so it was a little scary. 'But it was OK. I like change.' It turns out Rabadan likes playing in the lane, where the buck often stops with her. 'She's our leading rebounder nearly every game,' West Aurora coach Teresa Waldinger said. 'She's just so gritty when it comes to her defensive passion. 'It's all about heart, so we can always just count on Maya.' The seventh-seeded Blackhawks did so again on Monday. Rabadan scored four points and led all players with 11 rebounds and five steals as West Aurora eliminated 10th-seeded Downers Grove South 50-39 in a Class 4A Waubonsie Valley Regional semifinal in Aurora. It was the 12th consecutive win for the Blackhawks (21-4), who advance to face second-seeded Waubonsie Valley (28-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday for the regional championship. Senior guard Brooklynn Johnson led West Aurora with 27 points, while sophomore guard Syncere Williams added 10 points and senior guard Shiane Johnson had seven points. But it was Rabadan who set the tone early, recording four of her steals and three offensive rebounds in the first quarter while helping defend Downers Grove South star Hayven Harden. The 6-0 Harden scored 18 points, including the 1,000th of her career, but was held relatively in check on the boards, finishing with six rebounds. She fouled out midway through the fourth quarter with West Aurora holding a 43-37 lead. The Mustangs (16-16) went scoreless for nearly three minutes and tallied just two points the rest of the way. The St. Xavier-bound Brooklynn Johnson credited Rabadan for her work on Harden. 'She's just aggressive,' Johnson said. 'She's the most aggressive player, especially on boards. She really goes and gets after it. She wants it more than anybody else.' Rabadan demonstrated that throughout Monday's game. She attempted only three shots but had four offensive rebounds, including one with 1:15 left in the fourth quarter that led to Shiane Johnson sinking two free throws for a 48-39 cushion. 'She has that heart and that drive that you just can't teach a kid,' Waldinger said of Rabadan. 'She's so strong and she just wants it. 'She's always solid, but she was definitely more aggressive throughout the entirety (Monday).' Such resilience proved infectious as the Blackhawks earned a 26-24 rebounding edge on the taller Mustangs. West Aurora also feasted at the foul line of the physical and tightly officiated battle, sinking 22 of 30 free throws, with Brooklynn Johnson going 14 for 17. 'I feel like it was a team effort,' Rabadan said. 'All of us wanted the ball. All of us wanted to win.' And what was the key? 'It's just the rebounding, I guess,' Rabadan said. 'It's just heart and just wanting the ball.' While Rabadan hasn't added any height, the stature of her game is expanding. 'I feel like I've grown from the beginning of the season,' Rabadan said. 'I like scrapping for the ball and getting the ball, making sure we get a second look.' Although West Aurora will be huge underdogs against Waubonsie, the Blackhawks now have a chance to win their first regional title since 2006. 'I think we can win,' Brooklynn Johnson said. 'We all want it. We're all aggressive.'
