We got two recent one-thousand-point scorers going to war with Naperville Central senior TJ Hillman, who surpassed that mark earlier this week, and Metea’s Tre Watkins, who hit that milestone this calendar year. It’s also Senior Night as the Mustangs look to put on a show against a Redhawks squad that’s coming off a loss to Oswego. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Watkins and Hillman go to war early
Watkins gets cooking early as he puts up a circus shot that falls with the foul.
Hillman matches him by attacking the paint, fighting the contact, and scoring plus one. That gives the Redhawks an 8-6 lead.
Central holds for the final shot of the first quarter. Hillman dishes out to Cooper Page and he connects on three to make it 14-12 Hawks after one.
In the second quarter, CJ Jordan starts it off by getting the Marcus Brewell miss and puts it back in for Metea.
Central continues to stay hot from three as Liam Lau takes the shot and hits it.
Here comes Watkins taking the ball himself, knifing through the paint and kissing the glass. They trail 25-20.
The Redhawks seek insurance before the half with Quinn Oeth finding Nate Abrahamson. The three-ball is good. It’s 31-22 Central heading into the locker room.
Watkins is doing what he can to keep Metea in it, and this trifecta will do the trick to start the second half.
Redhawks soar to a commanding lead
Back comes Hillman, who is not afraid to score because he’s unguarded, and he makes the Mustang defense pay with a three-point basket. The Redhawks explode to a 38-25 lead.
Despite the deficit, Metea won’t give up, so Marcus Stewart corrals the heads-up rebound and hits the shot.
Then Manny Miller bounce passes to the other Marcus, as in Marcus Wallace, who displays his inner MJ on this layup, and the Mustangs trail 42-34 heading into the fourth quarter after a 9-4 run.
Mustangs continue their comeback
The surge continues for Metea, CJ Jordan pulls the turnaround and scores as Metea trails by just four.
Now the Mustangs trail 42-41, looking for the lead. It’s Manny Miller who answers the call, drives through the post, and scores to put Metea in front for the first time since the opening minutes.
Metea Valley keeps the run going. Watkins nearly loses his balance but still gets the runner to fall to extend the lead.
Tre Watkins is the new all-time leading scorer for Metea Valley boys basketball
Watkins wants to end the night in style. The lane is open, he scores, and hello history books. Tre Watkins is the new all-time leading scorer f or Metea Valley boys basketball, surpassing Ethan Helwig. Watkins and his 27 points cap off a senior night win for the Mustangs 59-45, thanks to a 25-3 run in the fourth quarter.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
