Neuqua Valley girls basketball is back on the court with the Wildcats taking on a challenger from the north at Hinsdale Central. The Freeport Pretzels enter the matchup with a 2-1 record on the young season as Neuqua looks for win number one on the year. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Neuqua jumps out to an early lead
Opening the first quarter strong is Taylor Dobry, who drains a three right out of the gate off the Emersen McManis assist, giving the Wildcats an early lead.
Freeport High’s Aaliyah Martin follows up with a fast break lay-up, putting the Pretzels on the scoreboard.
Neuqua Valley looks to extend the lead after a missed basket. Nalia Clifford pushes the ball up the court and finds Vlera Maliqi for a lay-up and the foul.
Freeport moves the ball around well as Maddie Davison drains a shot from deep to keep up with Neuqua in the opening quarter.
Emerson McManis kicks off the second quarter with a bucket from beyond the arc as Clifford grabs her own rebound to keep Neuqua Valley in front by a narrow margin.
Paityn London comes back with another layup and the foul for Freeport High, as the game seesaws back and forth.
Neuqua Valley’s Nalia Clifford racks up a three-pointer, keeping the pressure on, finishing out the 2nd quarter with the Wildcats in front 26-18.
The Pretzels are thirsty for a comeback
The atmosphere in the 3rd quarter changes drastically as Mariah Relerford starts to shift the tide of the match with a shot from downtown.
Nalia Clifford tries to keep the score in Neuqua’s favor with another shot from long range that finds the mark.
Keagan Huggins from Freeport secures another lay-up down low, which evens up the score.
Trailing by three, Michayla Stone closes out the 3rd quarter by hitting a turnaround jumper as the Wildcats trail by just a point heading to the final frame.
Neuqua wastes no time as Taylor Dobry goes for the lay-up off the inbound pass from Olivia Beaman, keeping the pressure on the Pretzels.
With less than a minute remaining Nalia Clifford gets into the paint and drops in a floater to put Neuqua in front by one, 50-49.
The Pretzels draw a foul with under 30 seconds left in the game. Paityn London splits a pair at the line to tie the game at 50.
Freeport holds on in the final seconds to knock off Neuqua Valley
Neuqua looks to get the ball to McManis, cutting to the paint, but the Pretzels steal the ball. London works her way through the defense and finds herself wide open for the go-ahead layup to put Freeport in front 52-50 with ten seconds left.
The Cats put the ball in the hands of their senior leader, Nalia Clifford. She dribbles to the left and launches a three-pointer for the win, but it’s off the mark. Stone gets the rebound and makes the putback, but the clock expires beforehand. The Pretzels escape with a thrilling 52-50 victory over Neuqua Valley.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
