Waubonsie Valley’s Maya Cobb couldn’t help but smile at the mere mention of it.
The topic of the day was defense, and take-your-breath-away pressure defense, in particular. Cobb, a 5-foot-3 junior guard, and the Warriors take great pride in their full-court trapping press.
The team goes pretty much six deep until the game is in hand. Until then, Waubonsie appears to be coming at their opponent in waves, and they are pretty relentless in the process.
“We know our defense fuels our offense, of course,” Cobb said. “Getting stops, that’s just getting the momentum of the game going.
“Just to get the energy flowing, that’s what my part is. I try to do it for the team, to defensively bring energy so we can come out on top.”
Helped by Cobb, the Warriors had plenty of energy Thursday in a Class 4A regional final they hosted, forcing nine turnovers in the first quarter to take control in an 82-44 win over West Aurora.
The victory sends second-seeded Waubonsie (29-1) to a 7:30 p.m. Tuesday semifinal in the Bolingbrook Sectional against third-seeded Bolingbrook (20-10) or sixth-seeded Yorkville (19-10).
Junior guard Danyella Mporokoso scored 27 points Thursday to lead the Warriors, who are riding a 19-game winning streak. Senior forward Lily Newton added 18 points, followed by junior guard Arie Garcia-Evans with 16 and Cobb with 12.
Senior guard Brooklynn Johnson, a St. Xavier recruit and the Upstate Eight Conference’s MVP, produced 19 points and six rebounds for West Aurora (21-5). Senior guard Shiane Johnson, playing with a heavily bandaged injured thumb on her shooting hand, added 12 points.
“It was difficult to get past the pressure,” Brooklynn Johnson said. “We weren’t really faced with games like this throughout the season because conference wasn’t as strong as it was last year.”
Cobb, who rotated between the junior varsity and varsity as a freshman, came off the bench last season as the sixth man but is now a starter for Waubonsie coach Brett Love.
“It’s definitely changed my role,” Cobb said. “It’s different from getting put in the game and reacting to what’s already happened. You’re trying to start the momentum and keep it going.”
The move has been seamless.
“She’s improved so much on defense — she’s really worked hard on that,” Mporokoso said of Cobb. “She can contribute offensively and get us some tough buckets, whether it’s a 3-pointer or her little floater.”
But the Blackhawks, who won the Upstate Eight Conference title, finished the first half with 16 turnovers and trailed 44-23.
“It’s the best defensive team we’ve seen all season,” West Aurora coach Teresa Waldinger said. “We didn’t have a lot of preparation for that kind of defense, and I give credit to them.
“They’re a very disciplined basketball team. We tried to hang and couldn’t come away with it. We haven’t been pressed a whole lot this season and clearly met our match.”
Newton, who made 3 of 6 shots from beyond the 3-point line, led the Warriors with 11 rebounds and Garcia Evans chalked up six steals.
“Every day in practice, we work on defense, communicating through traps,” Mporokoso said. “I think we all have good chemistry on defense. I think it would be really tough to face us.”
Cobb, who added three rebounds, two steals and two assists Thursday, averages 10 points a game and is one of four starters who average in double figures for Love.
“Her defense has really picked up a lot,” Love said of Cobb. “Her hustle plays, getting 50-50 balls and creating extra possessions has been a boost.
“And being able to shoot the way that she does, she’s a basketball player. I mean, she can handle the ball, dribble into the teeth of the defense, finish well and really shoot at a high clip.”
