Geneva rolls in regional opener, wins 20th game

Another 20-win season wasn't foremost on the mind of Geneva girls basketball coach Sarah Meadows Tuesday night.

While the Vikings reached the benchmark 20-win plateau for the ninth time in 10 seasons, what mattered most was that their postseason hopes were alive and well following a 58-36 Class 4A regional semifinal victory over Lake Park in Roselle.

"Not too bad," Meadows said of the Vikings' model of consistency throughout the past decade that also included a 19-win season in 2012-13. "We're just going one day at a time though. We'll scout tomorrow night (Schaumburg vs. Wheaton Warrenville South) and we'll be ready for the winner on Friday."

Geneva (20-6) went on an early 12-0 run while opening a 19-6 first-quarter lead.

Freshman guard Margaret Whitley (8 points, 5 assists) connected on a pair of 3-pointers while senior Courtney Reynolds (11 points, 3 assists) came off the bench to add 5 first-period points, including a 3-pointer from the corner.

After Lake Park (13-17) trimmed its deficit to 22-14 with free throws from Lexie Ricchio and Erica Fant midway through the second quarter, Reynolds drained back-to-back 3-pointers as the Vikings upped its lead back to double digits.

Although Geneva led 32-17 at halftime, Meadows wasn't overly pleased with her team's quick-shot tactics especially from beyond the arc.

"We took a few too many 3s in the first half," said Meadows, whose team shot 5-for-18 from 3-point range during the first 16 minutes. "And it was one pass and a shot. We'd get the offensive board and it was one pass and a shot. We've got to make them play defense for a little bit - make them work and get in a rhythm."

The second-seeded Vikings relied on an old staple - its pressure defense - to put the game out of reach.

Back-to-back steals from senior forward Abby Novak (7 points, 4 assists, 4 steals) helped set up easy baskets by Whitley and Stephanie Hart, and Novak added a layup of her own during an 8-2 run that gave Geneva a 40-19 lead midway through the third quarter.

"I thought our third quarter looked really good," said Meadows. "Our diamond (press) looked better."

The Vikings also got their bigs involved more as 6-2 center Grace Loberg scored 4 of her 6 points in the third quarter while senior forward Janie McCloughan added 4 free throws.

"We wanted more touches inside in the second half," said Meadows. "We just need to work inside-out."

McCloughan did her part, finishing with a game-high 15 points and 9 rebounds before exiting when the Vikings' lead swelled to 58-30 with 2:27 left.

"She just brings energy," Meadows said of McCloughan. "She plays with such heart and we feed off that."

"It's very relieving," McCloughan said of the postseason victory. "You've got to make sure you come focused and you bring that energy and hustle. It's not just another game, especially being a senior. It's a lot more real."

Erica Fant led the Lancers with 9 points while Maria Zepeda and Jennifer Warfield added 5 points apiece.

"They certainly outmatched us in a lot of ways," Lake Park coach Brian Rupp said of the Vikings. "There were times where we were struggling to get a shot off - complete credit to them."

Eight seniors, including leading scorer Emily Duckhorn (3 points), saw their high school seasons end.

"We're trying to build a program here," said Rupp. "Are we happy with 13 wins? It's better than the 7 (wins) we had the year before. We're trending the right way."