Prasse, Benet sink Geneva in final seconds
Christen Prasse was in an ideal situation.
The Benet guard found herself all alone at the free-throw line with 1.3 seconds to play in the consolation championship of the Redwings’ Christmas Tournament on Friday night.
She did not disappoint.
Capping the last of her game-high 25 points, Prasse converted both free throws — after being fouled on an inbounds pass — to give Benet a 64-62 victory over hamstrung Geneva in Lisle.
“We have been practicing so many free throws this year,” Prasse said. “We’re going to leave it all out on the court, and that’s what we did tonight.”
“It was a big win for us,” Benet coach Peter Paul said. “We’re learning how to play together.”
The Redwings (11-6) trailed for virtually the entire game as Geneva built a 20-10 lead after the opening quarter.
But Benet would receive a pair of monster individual quarters to claw back into the game.
Prasse was the lone Benet player to score from the field in the second quarter, draining two 3-pointers and converting a 3-point play as part of her 13-point quarter blitz.
Emily Eshoo then took her cue to start the second half, which began with the Vikings leading 32-25.
The sophomore guard pumped in 13 of her 22 points in the third quarter to decisively swing the game.
“Christen got me the ball in some good spots,” Eshoo said. “I just decided to relax and let the game come to me.”
Benet trailed by a point entering the final eight minutes, a quarter in which neither team led by more than 4 points.
Abby Novak, who scored a team-high 17 points for Geneva (9-8), tied the game at 54-54 off a gorgeous feed from Sami Pawlak, who was brilliant all evening in the post for the Vikings with 16 points and 9 rebounds.
Pawlak negated an Eshoo bucket to knot the contest once again at 56-56, but Benet forward Emily Schramek (14 points) had consecutive field goals to give the hosts their largest lead of the night at 60-56.
Geneva refused to wilt, though, as Pawlak followed the lone Kelly Gordon field goal of the game to force another deadlock at 60-60.
Prasse drained a money jumper with 61 seconds to play, only to have Novak hit an ice-in-the-veins bucket 25 seconds later.
Benet missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer with five seconds to play, but Geneva was unable to corral the rebound.
Prasse then made the Vikings pay dearly after getting hacked with Geneva in the double bonus.
“It was just like the last game against Wheaton Warrenville (South),” Pawlak said. “We just didn’t finish.”
Sidney Santos added 12 points for Geneva.