Neuqua Valley sophomore Quinn Sigal doesn’t have a favorite position.
She can — and will if asked — play all five spots.
“She doesn’t care,” Neuqua Valley coach Mike Williams said. “She will play anywhere, but we like her at guard. Right now, that’s where we need her.”
The 5-foot-7 Sigal was Neuqua’s starting center as a freshman and proved to be gritty and resilient at both ends of the floor. But she is probably best suited to play point guard, which is where Williams is playing her.
“This year, as the point guard, I feel like I have to get everyone involved,” Sigal said. “In that sense, I’ve always been a vocal leader. So I’ve been talking to my teammates, trying to hype them up, just trying to keep the energy high and keep the morale going.”
There was plenty for Sigal and the Wildcats to be excited about after she scored a career-high 19 points in their 44-31 DuPage Valley Conference victory against Metea Valley in Aurora on Thursday.
Sigal, who made 7 of 14 shots and was 3 of 4 from the free-throw line, hit two 3-pointers and also made several driving layups and inside baskets. She and junior guard Nalia Clifford took turns finding each other for open shots.
“We always knew Quinn is a player,” Clifford said. “She can play any position. Last year we needed her in the 5 just because of the team we had, but now that she can bring the ball up and run all sorts of plays, it’s awesome.
“She can shoot, but she also knows when she should post up. Today I was able to find her.”
Clifford, who finished with nine points, seven rebounds and three assists, usually did so at the most opportune times, including a pass that led to Sigal’s 3-pointer that broke an 18-18 tie at the 3:31 mark of the second quarter.
The Wildcats (5-5, 2-1) didn’t trail again, although the host Mustangs (3-5, 0-2) hung tough until the closing minutes. Metea Valley freshman guard Payton Giannone scored on a drive to pull her team within 33-31, and the Mustangs had two chances to tie or take the lead.
But Sigal made a steal and sank two free throws with 4:14 left in the fourth quarter. On the next possession, Clifford got a rebound, and she later got a return pass from Sigal and sank a 3-pointer to make it 38-31.
Junior center Michayla Stone followed with a putback, and then junior forward Taylor Dobry made a steal and a layup to put the game out of reach.
What led to the late run?
“I think it was really our communication,” Sigal said. “We talked and worked with each other to really find that last (surge) at the end.”
Williams said the Wildcats, who have only one senior, have lots of room for improvement.
“We don’t have the experience part,” Williams said. “You can just tell the flow is hard to come by. When you’ve got a seasoned team, you can tell the difference.
“Right now, we’re just trying to put some pieces together and just figure it out. They do have some grit.”
The Mustangs had no answer for Sigal.
“She’s a great guard,” Clifford said. “She knows where to go, and everyone today did a much better job of moving the ball.
“We worked in practice on rotating, knowing where to go so that we can kick it out, so I think we did a better job of that today.”
Sigal, who also had two assists, two steals and two rebounds, wasn’t overly impressed by her career-best scoring total.
“That’s not what matters,” she said. “It’s more about the team and more about building game by game and those little improvements.
“This is a win that we really needed because we needed to get back to .500.”
The Wildcats do not intend to stop there.
“We have a ton of potential,” Clifford said. “We’re young, we don’t have a lot of experience, but we have a lot of heart, a lot of hustle.
“We’ve had our ups and downs, but we’re recognizing what we’re doing wrong. So I think we’re getting better each game.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
