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Geneva blitzes St. Charles East

As if the Geneva girls basketball team needed something to make them even more dangerous, the Vikings found it during the Class 4A St. Charles East regional Wednesday night.

Geneva drained a season-high eight 3-pointers — by seven different players — which was just part of what turned a close game into another Viking rout of St. Charles East, 82-45.

No. 1 seed Geneva (22-6) will play No. 2 St. Charles North (16-13) in the regional championship game at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night. It’s a rematch of last year’s regional final won 47-45 by the Vikings.

Geneva’s previous season high of 3s came against Naperville North when they hit 7. The Vikings entered Wednesday with 58 3-pointers in their 27 games, or 2.1 a game on 26 percent shooting, and proceeded to make 8 of 13 against the Saints (11-18).

“We haven’t been doing so well executing against zones,” Geneva senior Sammy Scofield said. “Today our shot was just on.”

The Vikings came out ready to turn the game into the same lopsided affair as the first two meetings. Ashley Santos’ steal on the Saints’ first possession led to Kat Yelle’s layup. Santos followed with a 3-pointer, Yelle fed Scofield for a layup and Yelle drove for a basket and a 9-0 lead with 5:18 left in the first quarter.

But from that point to the end of the first half, the Saints stayed within 22-20 of the Vikings. Paige Jordan scored 13 points in the first half, including a basket that trimmed Geneva’s lead to 28-20. Katelyn Allen answered with a 3-pointer to put Geneva up 31-20 at halftime.

“We were not playing our game in the first half,” Scofield said. “ We were rushing everything and playing flustered. At halftime we talked about running our sets, playing our defense, doing our thing. We got out and ran in the third quarter and started playing like ourselves again and got the game under control.”

Jordan picked up where she left off with a pair of drives for scores to open the third quarter. When Laney Deckrow scored, the Saints were within 32-26 with 6:28 left in the quarter.

After a Santos 3-pointer and Deckrow bucket left the Vikings up 35-28, Geneva hit the Saints with a 23-0 knockout punch. Yelle started the run with a 3-pointer and Dori Rogers ended it with another 3-pointer, turning what had been a competitive game for 18 minutes into a 58-28 blowout.

“The second half we got a little bit away from our game plan, to take a little time on each possession,” Saints coach Lori Drumtra said. “Geneva’s defense is so aggressive they force you to play faster than you want to play. With a young team it’s kind of hard to keep that in mind for 32 minutes. In the third quarter they amped it up obviously. They just have so many weapons they can go to. They are not a one-person or two-person team.”

Geneva received a scare when Scofield turned her left ankle in the fourth quarter. She limped out of the game and didn’t return and had an ice pack on the ankle after the game.

“I just went up for a layup and was off-balance when I landed on it,” Scofield said. “But it will be fine. It’s sore but I’ll tape it up and I’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”

Geneva coach Gina Nolan took the rest of her starters out with 4:47 left ahead 69-37. Geneva’s bench kept putting points on the board. Stevie Fanale hit 3 jumpers including a 3, Rachel Hinchman scored 9 points and Stephanie Sharp ended the scoring with a jumper. That gave Geneva 82 points, just off the 85 Nolan saw possible sectional foe Rockton Hononegah score in its regional win Tuesday.

“They do a great job of getting those kids spells of rest,” Nolan said of her bench. “They work just as hard at practice and it’s great to see them come in and contribute. The entire team enjoyed seeing that. It’s nice to bring those kids off the bench and not have a drop off.”

Santos and Yelle led Geneva with 18 and 15 points, respectively, despite both picking up their second fouls early in the second quarter. Scofield scored 12, Hinchman 9, Katelyn Allen 8, Fanale 7 and Kelsey Pease 6. Geneva forced 24 turnovers and outrebounded the Saints 28-21.

Jordan was the only Saint in double figures with a game-high 19 points. Amanda Hilton and Deckrow added 7 for the Saints, who went 7-7 in the second half of the season after starting 4-11.

“I thought we had a nice second half,” Drumtra said. “I liked where we were at at the end of the season. I thought we were playing much better.

“I knew going in it was going to be a learning year and growing year. I’m pleased with where we ended up. We have a lot to build on and have a nice core of players coming back.”

Images: St. Charles East vs. Geneva girls basketball

  St. Charles East’s Paige Jordan is denied by Geneva’s Ashley Santos in the second half of the Vikings’ regional win. Jordan scored 19 points in the game and Santos had 18. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com