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Geneva stymies Rockford Jefferson

After putting 73 points on the scoreboard to win a thrilling regional final Friday, it was the points Geneva didn't allow Rockford Jefferson that keyed the Vikings' sectional victory Wednesday night at DeKalb.

Trailing 40-31 midway through the third quarter, the Vikings clamped down on the defensive end, holding Jefferson to 3 field goals the rest of the game.

Geneva went on a 26-6 run spanning the end of the third and start of the fourth quarters, the turning point in a 63-54 win that puts the Vikings in their second straight sectional championship game.

Geneva (28-3) will play Rockford Auburn (29-1) at 7 p.m. Friday looking for its first sectional championship since 1963.

"Defense is definitely a strength of our game especially with our size and our energy," Geneva center Loudon Vollbrecht said. "We know if we can get a stop on defense we have a better chance of scoring on offense."

Geneva coach Phil Ralston used that size at times to put 6-foot-10 Chandler Fuzak at the top of the Vikings' 1-3-1 with the 6-8 Vollbrecht, 6-7 Nate Navigato, 6-8, Michael Landi and 6-7 Bennett Fuzak behind him.

"I thought we had some very effective defensive possessions out of it," Ralston said. "We put some pressure on their guards. Loudon did a great job sealing off the basket. Several times they just ran into him. I thought the kids really turned it up on defense."

Rockford Jefferson (23-9) took its biggest lead of the game with a 12-2 run over the first five minutes of the third quarter, going up 40-31 on a steal and layup from ML Moore who led all scorers with 24 points.

Pace Temple, like he did when St. Charles East had its biggest lead Friday, started the Geneva comeback. Friday it was a 3-point play; against Jefferson, Temple drained a 3-pointer, the only one of the night for the Vikings.

Geneva also drew a pair of charges that helped turn momentum.

"When you are driving the lane and get a turnover and foul on the play, that takes away a little of your spirit going to the basket," Ralston said.

Vollbrecht followed his own miss, bringing Geneva within 40-37 going to the fourth quarter.

The Vikings did a lot of their damage in a 26-point fourth quarter at the foul line, much to the irritation of Rockford Jefferson coach Todd Brannan.

Geneva made 16 of 18 free throws in the fourth quarter including a pair from Navigato that gave Geneva the lead for good at 48-46 with 4:43 left.

"I thought our kids played their tails off," Brannon said. "I thought the officiating was absolutely horrible. I'm not taking anything away from Geneva's kids, I thought they played a very good game and they are a very good team. But I thought every time we drove it we get hit, nothing. It was 8-2 (fouls at one point in the fourth quarter). Now they are in the bonus and they are a good free-throw shooting team.

"It was probably a tough game to officiate because you have a taller, physical team against a smaller, quicker team," Brannan continued. "But when the fouls are 8-2 they played too big of a factor."

Navigato's free throws started an 11-0 Geneva run that ended with the Vikings up 57-46 and just two minutes left. Stephen Moyer, Vollbrecht and Navigato all had buckets as Geneva pulled away.

Jefferson could get nothing going on the other end, hitting just 3 of 18 shots in the fourth quarter.

"They had a lot of kids who wanted to drive the ball and I think we were slow to react to that," Vollbrecht said of the first half. "In the second half we were a little more ready for the drive."

Navigato finished with 19 points including 11-of-12 shooting at the line. Temple scored 15 and Vollbrecht double-doubled with 12 points, 12 rebounds plus 4 blocked shots.

Geneva started slow. The Vikings missed more shots on their first two possessions - 5 - than they did in the entire second half against St. Charles East - 14 for 17.

Jefferson led 8-2 before the Vikings started to settle in. Landi scored on a backdoor feed from Moyer. Navigato, whose defender Chris Ellis was 11 inches shorter than him, hit a short turnaround from the baseline to cut the J-Hawks' lead to 10-9 after one quarter.

The teams traded the lead 9 times in a hotly contested second quarter. Geneva took a 29-28 lead into halftime after Navigato was fouled with just .5 seconds left on a fastbreak that started when Jefferson missed a pair of free throws with 5 seconds to go.

"We had five looks at Jefferson and this was the most impressive out of all of them," Ralston said.

Geneva held Jefferson to 17 for 55 shooting (31 percent) and outrebounded the J-Hawks 33-25. They will need four quarters like their second half against an Auburn team that has only lost to St. Rita.

"We didn't come out very good at all. We started off really slow," Navigato said. "I think end of the third, start of the fourth we really picked it up and played great."

Images: Geneva vs. Rockford Jefferson, boys sectional basketball

  Geneva's Sean Chambers shoots a hook shot against Rockford Jefferson Wednesday in the Class 4A DeKalb sectional semifinal. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Geneva's Nate Navigato is fouled by Rockford Jefferson's Chris Ellis Wednesday in the Class 4A DeKalb sectional semifinal. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  The Geneva student section didn't make it easy for Rockford Jefferson free-throw shooters like Kaveon Rogers Wednesday at DeKalb. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Geneva's Pace Temple and Stephen Moyer applaud in the final minutes of their win over Rockford Jefferson Wednesday in the Class 4A DeKalb sectional semifinal. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Geneva's Stephen Moyer, Pace Temple, Daniel Santacaterina and Loudon Love Vollbrecht reacts in the final minutes of the win against Rockford Jefferson Wednesday in the Class 4A DeKalb sectional semifinal. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  Geneva's Nate Navigato reacts in the final seconds of the Vikings win against Rockford Jefferson Wednesday in the Class 4A DeKalb sectional semifinal. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
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