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First-rate memories from fourth-place finish for Geneva

PEORIA - Geneva gave its boys basketball fans an unforgettable ride this winter, the journey ending this weekend with the Vikings' first trip to the state tournament in 52 years.

The Vikings finally ran out of gas, according to coach Phil Ralston, in a 63-42 loss to Bolingbrook on Saturday night in the Class 4A third-place game at Carver Arena.

"I told them not to leave anything in the tank and I don't think they did," Ralston said. "They burned it all out. They gave their best effort. At the end of the day if you gave your best effort, you tried to exact what we try to teach, I can't ask anything more of them."

​After shooting at a 51 percent clip from the field through its first 33 games, Geneva's offense never got on track this weekend in Peoria.

The Vikings suffered through their second straight poor offensive night Saturday, shooting just 36.4 percent.

After making just 13 of 36 shots and 1 of 9 3s in Friday's loss to Normal Community, Geneva went 16 for 44 and 3 of 13. They hit 29 of 80 from the field (36.2 percent) and 4 of 22 from the arc (18.2 percent) for the weekend.

"I think it's a combination of things," Ralston said. "We went up against some very good defensive teams. They were able to put some pressure on us. I think some fatigue was part of the factor. We have some guys that have been going pretty hard the last few weeks."

Geneva (30-5) ends up tying the 1963 state team for the most wins in school history. The Vikings shared a conference title, had a 16-game winning streak, only lost 1 game with Temple in the lineup before this weekend, and every team they beat in the postseason had at least 22 wins.

"Extremely proud of our young men," Ralston said. "We've had some adversity. Our road to get here was one of the more difficult ones. Many people didn't have us coming our of our own regional. For us to get as far as we have, I couldn't be more proud of our young men."

Navigato came out hot Saturday, scoring Geneva's first 9 points. The Vikings led 11-8 after one quarter and 19-15 at halftime.

The game turned in the third quarter. It started harmlessly enough for the Vikings, a Loudon Vollbrecht basket giving them a 21-15 lead.

Bolingbrook (25-7) responded with a 20-5 run to take command. Prentiss Nixon, a Colorado State recruit, gave the Raiders the lead for good 24-23 with a 4-point play moments after Vollbrecht's 1-hand jam on a fastbreak.

Vollbrecht's dunk was one of the few times Geneva made Bolingbrook pay for its full-court pressure. At one point the Vikings turned the ball over on 7 of 8 possessions.

"They responded to the challenge I gave them at halftime," Bolingbrook coach Robert Brost said. "We wanted to push the ball up the court and speed them up. Our kids did a really good job in the second half with our press. The momentum came our way at that point."

"It slowly unraveled on us," Ralston said.

Bolingbrook led 35-26 after three quarters and never let Geneva get closer than 6. Frustration boiled over in the fourth quarter when Vollbrecht, after a loose ball scramble following his missed free throw, was called for a flagrant foul and ejected from the game.

"Part of it was some frustration," Ralston said. "It is what it is. We'll have to deal with that. I don't necessarily agree with the outcome of it."

The Vikings also didn't help themselves at the free-throw line, hitting 7 of 18. Bolingbrook was 25 of 33 - all in the second half - while also shooting 17 for 32 from the field, a percentage and free-throw disparity that typically goes with Geneva.

There was one more stat that was a rare one for Geneva to lose - rebounding. Bolingbrook beat the taller Vikings 29-23 on the boards.

"We had a lot of guys who were exhausted," Geneva guard Pace Temple said. "Today I think we saw that. Getting outrebounded. Shooting poorly from the free-throw line. I think that's the main factor of it."

Bolingbrook switched to a diamond-and-one on Navigato in the fourth quarter. The Buffalo-bound senior, Geneva's all-time leading scorer who also is tops in just about every other statistical category, finished his career with 15 points.

"I think I was missing some bunny shots I normally would make," said Navigato, named first team all-state by the IHBCA. "I'm proud of where we came, and where we finished. This was an incredible journey and I'll never forget it."

Just as on Friday, Navigato was the only Viking to reach double figures. Vollbrecht scored 8.

Getting in late, Jake Rocks scored 3 points and Ben Stahl had 2 to put the final touches on an unforgettable season for the Vikings

"Nobody expected us to get this far," senior guard Daniel Santacaterina said. "One of the main things I'll remember is all the great guys I've been playing with since fourth, fifth grade. Nate is one of the hardest workers I've ever seen. I'm as proud of him, Pace, as anyone as I've ever played with. Nate is going to do incredible things, Pace is going to do incredible things. Everyone on the team. It's been an honor to play with these guys. It's been a great ride."

Geneva finished fourth in Saturday's IHSA Class 4A boys basketball tournament

  Geneva's Loudon Vollbrecht shoots a fadeaway jumper against the defense of Bolingbrook's Zach Grady during the Class 4A third-place game at Carver Arena in Peoria on Saturday. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Geneva's Nate Navigato, right, shoots a jump shot during the Class 4A third-place game against Bolingbrook at Carver Arena in Peoria on Saturday. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
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