It’s a battle of two Aurora schools as West Aurora boys basketball hosts Waubonsie Valley in the Regional Semifinals. Waubonsie Valley enters the postseason as the eighth seed and looks to build off its momentum after a recent win over Naperville Central. West Aurora enters the postseason as the eleventh seed after an 18-13 regular season. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
The Warriors take the early lead.
In the opening quarter, Warrior Kris Mporokoso attacks the basket and avoids the Blackhawk block for the left-handed layup. After recovering a loose ball, Warrior Evan Malushi throws it to Kyler Payne as Payne finishes the layup through contact while drawing the foul. The Warriors are out to a 7-0 run to start the game. Later in the quarter, Waubonsie’s Mporokoso continues to stay aggressive as he gets into the lane and lays it in despite the tough West Aurora defense. At the end of the quarter, Waubonsie leads 9-3.
West Aurora roars back
After a slow first quarter, the West Aurora offense is coming/comes alive in the second as Blackhawk Richard Bell Jr catches the pass in the post. The Blackhawk spins past Josh Brackett and floats it in. West Aurora leads 16-14. Jordan Weeks secures the rebound for West Aurora and gives it to Travis Brown Jr to push the pace. Brown Jr passes it to Abraham Martinez in the corner, who knocks down the three with the hand in his face. The Blackhawks continue their big second-quarter run. Late in the second, the Waubonsie offense goes back to Mporokoso. He gets past his defender and gets his layup to drop. Going into halftime, West Aurora is out in front with a 26-17 lead. The
Warriors retake a narrow lead
On the first possession of the third quarter, West Aurora’s Orlando Edwards runs a play for the offense. Edwards throws up the lob to Jaden Thomas to bring the lead to double digits. The Waubonsie Valley offense looks to respond in the second half as Warrior Evan Malushi attacks the basket before throwing a dime to Josh Brackett in the corner as he drains the three-ball. The Warriors trail 28-20. Midway through the third quarter, Waubonsie’s Kyler Payne gets past the West Aurora defense and finds Evan Malushi beyond the arc for the triple. Waubonsie’s Kris Mporokoso fakes out two defenders before passing to Payne in the corner, but Payne’s three is off the mark. Blackhawk Richard Bell Jr gets the rebound and passes to Travis Brown Jr who turns on the speed and rises for the one-handed slam! With just under two minutes in the quarter, West Aurora leads 33-25. With the third quarter winding down, Kyler Payne brings the ball up court and pulls up for the three-point shot. At the end of three, West Aurora’s lead is down to a pair at 33-31.
West Aurora gets the win
Almost halfway through the fourth quarter, the Warriors need a spark on offense. Payne passes to Mporokoso for the three, but he can’t get it to drop. Warrior Tate Bartzen grabs the rebound and gives it back to Mporokoso, who attacks the Blackhawk defense and finishes the tough layup and draws the foul, getting three the old-fashioned way. After knocking down the free throw, Waubonsie leads 34-33. After a big stop on the defensive end, Waubonsie has the opportunity to take the lead. Payne passes it to Mporokoso as he gets into the lane and goes up for the big slam! The Warriors are back out in front, leading 39-37 with just over two minutes remaining. With under a minute remaining in the game, West Aurora’s offense dials up a play for Abraham Martinez. The Blackhawk delivers as he knocks down the big three as West Aurora leads 42-39 with 34 seconds remaining. Needing a quick stop on defense, Warrior Aidan Lee steals the inbound pass. The offense goes fast with a chance to tie the game. Waubonsie’s Evan Malushi finds Aidan Lee in the corner for the game-tying three, but Lee can’t convert. After a back-and-forth game, West Aurora can ice the game with a free throw as they hold on for the win against Waubonsie Valley, 43-39. West Aurora boys basketball advances to the regional championship to take on the number one seed and defending state champion, Benet Academy.
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