The foul line is not a frequent destination for Waubonsie Valley’s Maya Pereda.
The sophomore guard had attempted just 14 free throws this season heading into the Warriors’ DuPage Valley Conference game at Naperville North on Thursday. But Pereda wasn’t fazed when she stepped to the line for the first time after being fouled with eight seconds left and her team clinging to a one-point lead.
“At that moment, I just tried to relax, focus on the free throws, finish the game,” she said. “I knew I had to make at least one.”
Pereda made the first one. But her second shot rimmed out.
“I had to try to make two,” she said. “But lucky enough, there was a tip on the ball, and it went out of bounds.”
Possession stayed with the Warriors, and junior guard Danyella Mporokoso made two free throws with 0.1 second left to seal the Warriors’ 52-48 victory.
Mporokoso, as usual, led Waubonsie Valley (15-1, 4-0) in scoring with 24 points. But the clutch play of Pereda, who had nine points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal, demonstrated that the Warriors don’t have to rely on just one player.
“She’s so important,” Mporokoso said. “She’s one of the most reliable people on the team. She’ll be up in the morning practicing with me.
“I trust her almost more than anyone on the team because I know how hard she works.”
Pereda said she had to work hard to get up to speed after making the varsity team as a freshman. She cracked the starting lineup on the best team in program history, helping the Warriors reach the state semifinals for the first time and finish fourth in Class 4A.
Now Pereda is comfortable playing the fast-paced style the Warriors prefer. She’s averaging 7.5 points on 40% shooting, 2.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.9 assists.
“She brings a lot of competitive nature and shooting,” Waubonsie Valley coach Brett Love said. “She’s a great shooter. She didn’t make a lot of her shots today, but she made some big ones, and understanding when you are in rhythm and when you have good shots is part of the game.
“Some days you’re making shots, and some days you’re not. But if you can pull out one or two big ones and then knock down a free throw and play great defense, then she helps us out.”
That’s exactly what Pereda did against the upset-minded Huskies (7-10, 1-3), who dug out of a 9-0 hole to take a 17-16 lead on a putback by junior forward Ema Gilvydis.
That’s when Pereda hit a 3-pointer to put the Warriors ahead 19-17 with 2:51 left in the second quarter. Ninety seconds later, she made a turnaround jumper to break a 21-21 tie.
While Pereda finished 3 of 10 from the floor, her performance was one of her most important so far, especially considering Waubonsie Valley junior guard Maya Cobb suffered an ankle injury three minutes into the game and didn’t return.
“I would say so,” Mporokoso said. “This is one of our first close games.
“(Pereda) hits shots when we need her to. She’s long on defense, and she always steps up to help. She gets charges. We weren’t getting a lot of them called today, but she tries.”
So did the Huskies. Gilvydis, who had a game-high 11 rebounds along with seven points, scored on a putback that gave Naperville North its largest lead, 37-30, late in the third quarter.
But the Warriors rallied with role players like Pereda and junior forward Taylnn Heard, who had six rebounds and four points, including a basket that established a 49-46 lead with 1:10 left.
“(Cobb) was a big piece that we lose, but we had some other players step up and compete,” Love said. “Those that don’t get a whole lot of time, they’ve got to be ready when their number is called.”
Pereda is always ready, yet never satisfied.
“It felt great, but it was really a team effort,” she said. “Everyone played really well. Toward the end, we all played our roles, everyone contributed and it was an overall a great team win.
“I’ve got to keep going strong. I’ve got to keep elevating, making our game better every single game.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
