Geneva routs Bartlett
Geneva's girls basketball team bounced back in a big way Tuesday night in an Upstate Eight Conference crossover matchup with Bartlett.
After being upset by Glenbard North Wednesday in the title game of Glenbard East's Thanksgiving Tournament, the Vikings took out their frustrations on the Hawks, winning 54-31 in a rematch of last year's Class 4A sectional semifinal.
"It was definitely a bummer we lost," said Geneva junior Grace Loberg. "We were all upset but it showed us we need to work hard every game, every practice, every time we are in the gym."
The 6-foot-2 Loberg dominated the game at both ends. She was the only player on either team in double figures finishing with 15 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocked shots.
"She's just a stud," Geneva coach Sarah Meadows said. "Offensively can't be stopped. Great player.
"We just weren't happy (last Wednesday). We didn't come out ready. We didn't come out with any intensity. We just showed up. It was a good lesson for us, for me as well. If I had to be honest I think that loss helped us, an eye-opener for us. We talked about what our response was going to be and my answer is you have to have a good win tonight. And Bartlett is a good team and super proud that we got the 'W.'"
Geneva (4-1) won the game on the defensive end, holding Bartlett (3-3) to 24 percent shooting from the field - just 17 percent over the final 3 quarters (7 of 41).
"We're just not putting the ball in the basket," Bartlett coach Dave Mello said. "On the season we're shooting 35 percent and that's not going to beat these teams. We have to be in the mid-40s."
The Hawks got off to a good start leading 14-10 after one quarter. Geneva took the lead for good 20-18 with 2:40 left in the first half on a jumper by Colleen Grady on an assist from Loberg.
The Hawks trailed 24-20 in the closing seconds when they shot too quickly, and Stephanie Hart beat them down the court for a 3-point play with 1.3 seconds remaining for a 27-20 halftime lead.
"I'll take the blame, but we've got to be better, we have to know we are getting one shot," Mello said.
The Vikings also closed the third quarter with a bang, this time a 3-pointer by Ashley Shogren to cap a 10-0 run to open a 41-28 lead.
After Bartlett pulled within 31-28 late in the third quarter, Geneva outscored the Hawks 23-3 to end the game. The Hawks made just 1 of 12 shots from the field in the fourth and 3 of 4 free throws the entire game.
"Our offense right now for a team that should be averaging upper 50s, low 60s, for us to be putting up 30 today, 40 against Benet, we have to be able to find a way to score against the better teams," Mello said. "Scoring in the 60s and 70s against the lesser teams on the schedule isn't making us better."
Hart (5 steals) and Grady each added 8 points for Geneva.
Taylor Williams drew the defensive assignment against Bartlett's Kaitlin Brohan and held her to 8 points. Kelly Harris also scored 8 for the Hawks.
"There's a long way to go but I didn't expect to be here now losing by 23 points to Benet and Geneva," Mello said. "That doesn't bode well for the teams that are upcoming on the schedule. If we're not going to compete with the good teams that's going to be a problem because that's all we have on our schedule."