Basketball Game Preview: Neuqua Valley Wildcats vs. Waubonsie Valley Warriors

The Neuqua Valley Wildcats will take on the Waubonsie Valley Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

Neuqua Valley is likely headed into the contest with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Metea Valley on Thursday. Neuqua Valley fell 43-36 to Metea Valley. That's two games in a row now that the Wildcats have lost by exactly seven points.

Meanwhile, Waubonsie Valley entered their tilt with Oswego East on Saturday with 12 consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with 13. They took down the Wolves 74-58. Given the Warriors' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois basketball rankings (they are ranked tenth, while the Wolves are ranked 140th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Neuqua Valley better focus on containing Danyella Mporokoso and Arianna Garcia as the pair were huge in Waubonsie Valley's win. Mporokoso went 7 of 13 from beyond the arc on her way to 34 points in addition to five boards and three steals, while Garcia almost dropped a double-double on 21 points and nine rebounds. Mporokoso's afternoon made it six games in a row in which she has scored at least ten points. Lily Newton was another key player, putting up eight points.

Waubonsie Valley pushed their record up to 23-1 with the victory, which was their 18th straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.1 points per game. As for Neuqua Valley, they have been struggling recently as they've lost ten of their last 11 matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-18 record this season.

Neuqua Valley took a serious blow against Waubonsie Valley when the teams last played back in December of 2024, falling 70-25. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Neuqua Valley was down 42-13.