Waubonsie Valley’s Cade Valek must have looked hungry.
The 6-foot-7 forward was closing in on the baseline on the opposite side of the basket from where teammate Moses Wilson stood with the ball, and Wilson decided it was time to feed the big guy.
“Cade’s special,” Wilson said. “He’s always in. I feel like he’s the most bought-in player for us, doing everything for the team, sacrificing a lot. Even when he’s hurt, he’s still playing.
“He’s always down there getting our boards, doing the dirty work. Scoring was a little down for him (Friday night), so it was a shot at getting him one there, me kind of saying, ‘Hey Cade.’”
Hey, hey. Valek went up Friday night, gathered Wilson’s lob pass in the fourth quarter and put down a dunk for a 69-47 win over Crystal Lake South in the Hinkle Holiday Classic final at Jacobs.
With a bigger role as a starter after coming in off the bench last season, Valek finished with eight points, a game-high nine rebounds, two assists, one blocked shot and one steal as the Warriors (12-0) successfully defended their title.
“We have a special team,” Valek said. “A lot of guys with a lot of talent and a lot of resiliency.
“Stuff wasn’t rolling for us in the first half, but in the second half, we were able to bounce back, find our fit and achieve what we want to do.”
Senior guard Tyreek Coleman, an Illinois State recruit, scored a game-high 26 points and was named tourney MVP. Wilson, a senior guard/forward, added 18 points and eight rebounds.
Senior guard AJ Demirov tallied 22 points for Crystal Lake South (11-3), sparking a strong start by making all five of his 3-pointers in the first half when the Gators made 7 of 12.
Waubonsie was a cool 2 of 13 from beyond the arc in the same span against a 1-3-1 zone.
“Obviously, a 1-3-1 is a different animal offensively with one day of preparation,” Waubonsie coach Andrew Schweitzer said. “I’m excited with how we handled different things.
“The biggest was how we handled our adjustment defensively in the second half.”
The Warriors moved from their preferred 1-2-2 zone to man-to-man, leading to a decisive 17-0 run that covered parts of the third and fourth quarters.
Seven rebounds in the first half from Valek, an NCAA Division II Alabama Huntsville soccer commit who also kicked for the football team, helped keep things close in the first half.
“Cade doesn’t get a lot of credit on the stat sheet, but he impacts our team,” Coleman said. “We don’t take it for granted.
“We get a lot of fast-break opportunities and are able to play through, the way he rebounds offensively and defensively. He protects the rims.”
Valek has also turned into a bigger threat offensively this season.
“He’s more confident,” Schweitzer said. “He knows when to pick his spots offensively. I think he understands that when he gets an offensive board, he’s 6-7, it’s time to go up.”
Wilson’s personal 7-0 run in the second quarter, which took only 14 seconds, erased a six-point deficit.
He dunked off a lob from Coleman, then stole two straight inbounds passes and scored on layups, one leading to a 3-point play.
“It was amazing,” Valek said. “Moses is incredible with his length and athleticism. He can score from all three levels and is just huge for us.”
Valek can be big, too.
“He’s a monster, man,” Schweitzer said. “That kid, it’s motor, motor, motor and real toughness. He will do whatever I tell him to do, within reason, to get us a win.
“He’s a program kid — the type you want in your program.”
