Boys Basketball: Neuqua’s Sandifer is Sun-Times Athlete of the Week
BY BLAKE BAUMGARTNER For Sun-Times Media January 21, 2013 8:42PM
Neuqua Valley’s Jabari Sandifer (24) scored 25 points against Waubonsie Valley Friday. | Mike Mantucca ~ For Sun-Times Media
Updated: February 24, 2013 6:16AM
Losing its first game of the year, 55-49 at Metea Valley on Jan. 12 after a program-record 15-0 start, Neuqua Valley got some perspective from its senior point guard, Jabari Sandifer.
“It’s definitely [good to play Waubonsie Valley right away after the Metea Valley loss],” he said. “We still have to [focus on the road ahead]. The [Metea Valley] game is over.
“We just have to go out and focus on Waubonsie now. It’s gonna be a good game, too. It’s gonna go down to the wire, so we just have to prepare for them now.”
Scoring just six points in the teams’ first meeting, a 59-46 Wildcats’ victory on Dec. 1, perhaps he felt he had something to make up for as Neuqua welcomed the Warriors to town last Friday.
Tallying a team-high 25 points against Waubonsie Valley, Sandifer was the driving force behind Neuqua Valley pulling out a 50-47 victory to stay atop the Upstate Eight Valley standings, earning him Sun-Times Athlete of the Week honors.
As Neuqua Valley’s leader both on and off the court, there’s no doubt that it’s the Western Illinois-bound Sandifer that holds the key to coach Todd Sutton’s offense.
Saying from the start of the season that his 6-1, 165-pound point guard would go down as one of the best to ever don the Neuqua Valley uniform, Sutton hasn’t had a lot to worry about concerning his team, which defeated Hononegah 59-50 Monday to improve to 19-1.
“Jabari’s just Jabari. He just makes it all happen,’’ Sutton said on Jan. 9 after Sandifer notched a game-high 17 points in the Wildcats’ 58-48 victory at Bolingbrook. ‘‘He makes everything better for us. We have no worries when he’s got the ball. He just does the right thing all the time.’’
Matching last year’s win total with victories over Normal West and Auburn on Saturday at the Hononegah King Classic, expectations for Sandifer and the rest of his teammates now shift to trying to win an Upstate Eight championship and regional title.
There’s little doubt that both of those goals are well within reach for the Wildcats, with their placement within the Class 4A Bolingbrook Sectional fast approaching on Feb. 7.
“Yeah, we’re definitely [in good shape],” Sandifer said after the Metea Valley loss. “We’re still pretty good. We’re still ahead in the conference. I mean, we just have to keep playing good and going out there.”
