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Geneva holds off Glenbard South for Bach title

For all the conference championships, sectional titles and state appearances the Geneva girls basketball program has accomplished lately at the end of the season, there's been something missing at the start of it.

That is until Wednesday night. Behind 15 points from Grace Loberg, 14 by Janie McCloughan and after surviving some anxious moments late, the Vikings held off Glenbard South 44-41 to win the 19th annual Rachel Bach Tournament at Glenbard East.

A Thanksgiving title has been elusive in recent years for the Vikings, something coach Sarah Meadows didn't mind as using as motivation.

"We talked about it for sure," Meadows said. "The seniors know they haven't won. They were ready for a championship."

It looked for much of the night like it would come a lot easier. Geneva led by 11 points late in the third quarter.

The Raiders outscored Geneva 14-6 to end the game, and they missed a 3-pointer with 10 seconds to go and then turned the ball over with 5 seconds left - both times with a chance to win.

Courtney Reynolds sank a free throw with 2.1 seconds left for a 3-point lead, and the Raiders couldn't control the rebound after she missed her second as the clock ran out.

"First time, finally, we're excited," said McCloughan. "Every year we make a list of goals. There's obvious ones like state and stuff like that but this is always on there."

Glenbard South (4-1) got off to a good start, taking its biggest lead of the game at 7-2 on a steal and breakaway layup by Alex LaPonte.

Geneva (4-0) answered with a surge of its own, capped by a basket by McCloughan assisted by Stephanie Hart for a 10-9 lead.

Glenbard South scored the final five points of the first quarter - including a buzzer-beating 3 from the top of the key by center Sydney Bauman - to lead 14-10 after a quarter.

Freshman Margaret Whitley found Loberg for a basket to start a 20-point second quarter for the Vikings.

Hart's 3 moments later tied the game at 17, and a pretty give-and-go from Loberg to Whitley back to Loberg for a layup put Geneva ahead to stay, 19-17.

The lead stood at 30-23 at halftime after Colleen Grady came off the bench and hit two baskets, then grew to as much as 38-27 in the third quarter on Whitley's 3-pointer, followed by her assist to McCloughan for a baseline jumper.

The Vikings went cold from there, scoring only 6 more points over the game's final 11 minutes.

"We have to take better care of the ball," Meadows said. "It's going to be a process the entire year. The kids are going to grow and learn and get better as we go. There's going to be some hard times and some really good times.

"It's a 'W.' I'm happy with that."

Trailing 38-31 going to the fourth, the Raiders pulled within 40-37 with 3:50 left when Ivana Markovic found Payton Carli on a backdoor cut. They then had four straight possessions with a chance to tie only to turn it over each time.

McCloughan's two free throws with 1:17 remaining pushed Geneva's lead to 5, but Markovic answered with two free throws of her own, and Bauman followed with a steal and a layup to bring the Raiders within 42-41.

Bauman was fouled on the layup but missed the free throw that could have tied the game. After Reynolds split free throws for a 2-point lead, Bauman couldn't connect on a long 3.

Geneva missed a pair of front ends of 1-and-1s that could have sealed the game. Again the Raiders couldn't capitalize - committing their 21st turnover of the night with 5 seconds to go down 2 points.

"It's early in the season, we haven't been in situations like this, we are only going to get better at it," Glenbard South coach Julie Fonda said. "You try to let them play it out and go from there and that's what I kind of did as a coach. Now we know our capabilities and we'll adjust from there."

Loberg added 9 rebounds and 5 steals, and Abby Novak grabbed 8 boards. Geneva outrebounded the Raiders 37-23 to make up for a poorer shooting night - 33 percent (17 for 51) to the Raiders' 50 percent (16 for 32).

Markovic led Glenbard South with 14 points and Bauman added 11.

"They played great, props to them," McCloughan said. "We pulled through at the end and that's important. That brings out character and who wants it more."

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