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Geneva hands Batavia 1st UEC loss

Batavia has displayed an uncanny ability to pull out every close conference game it has played this year in winning its first 8 games.

Geneva found a way to finally stop the Bulldogs from coming through in the clutch - dominate so there's no drama in the final moments.

That certainly was the case Friday in front of a standing-room-only crowd in Geneva. The Vikings blitzed Batavia with a 17-0 run spanning the second and third quarters on their way to a 52-38 victory.

Jordan Vedder provided the exclamation point in the run, taking an alley-oop pass from Sean Chambers and jamming it home for a 30-12 lead in what had been a 13-12 game late in the second quarter.

"We were practicing it all week, kind of fun," Vedder said. "Coach (Phil Ralston) told us to knock it off in practice. Me and Sean saw the opening. I gave him the finger up and he tossed it and it went down. Kind of sealed off a great win."

Batavia (17-8, 8-1) still holds a 2-game lead with 3 to play over Geneva (20-5, 6-3) and St. Charles East with games remaining against Larkin, Elgin and St. Charles East.

Geneva kept its hopes alive using a balanced attack on offense and a stifling defense. Batavia hit just 25.5 percent of its shots (12 of 47) while Geneva was its typical efficient self at 19 of 30 (63.3 percent).

Bennett Fuzak scored 12 points while Vedder, Chambers, Matt Johnston and Brandon Schleicher all chipped in 7 points.

"Last game we played at their house was pretty sloppy," Johnston said. "We just needed to clean up some shots. All the guys on the team can score. We're all threats."

Geneva didn't allow a point for the first 5:06 of the game. Down 11-3 after a quarter, the Bulldogs pulled within 13-12 on Canaan Coffey's free throws. Cole Navigato ended the half with a basket, then Johnston, Chambers and Vedder all nailed 3-pointers as the Vikings scored the first 13 points of the third quarter to take command.

Batavia got as close as 38-28 in the fourth on a Coffey 3; Geneva again responded with a 13-0 surge capped by Fuzak's layup for its biggest lead at 51-28.

"They had a nice run to start the third quarter and we were playing catch-up which is hard to do against a very good team," Batavia coach Jim Nazos said.

"We hold our own destiny. Bottom line is we want to play well. We play well things like that (winning conference) happen."

Geneva also outrebounded Batavia 31-15 led by Johnston's 7.

"The unsung heroes are the kids at the end of the bench," Ralston said. "They went through all of Batavia's sets and plays. We told our guys we knew what the atmosphere was going to be like so our preparation for the game was going to be so important so when we walked in we were Mr. Cool and weren't going to get caught up in the hype."

Coffey led Batavia with 13 points and passed the 1,000-point milestone for his career. Ralston presented Coffey with the game ball following the game.

"He would be the first one to say he would put that off for another night to get this win," Nazos said. "He's one of those players that come along every once in awhile. I credit Geneva giving him the ball, they didn't have to do that. That's a class move."

Geneva's Bennett Fuzak (center) goes up for a shot during a home game against Batavia Friday night. Sandy Bressner/Kane County Chronicle
Geneva's Matt Johnston (left) and Batavia's Eric Peterson scramble for a loose ball during a game at Geneva Friday night. Sandy Bressner/Kane County Chronicle
Batavia's Carter Eberhart passes the ball from under the basket during a game at Geneva Friday night. Sandy Bressner/Kane County Chronicle
Geneva's Matt Johnston shoots the ball during a home game against Batavia Friday night. Sandy Bressner/Kane County Chronicle
Batavia's John Fitch (left) shoots the ball over Geneva's Bennett Fuzak during a game at Geneva Friday night. Sandy Bressner/Kane County Chronicle
Batavia's Canaan Coffey (3) looks for a shot during a game at Geneva Friday night. Sandy Bressner/Kane County Chronicle
Batavia's Colin Cheaney (30) goes up for a shot past Geneva's Matt Johnston (0) during a game at Geneva Friday night. Sandy Bressner/Kane County Chronicle
Geneva's Cole Navigato (left) dribbles past Batavia's Kamontez Thomas during a game at Geneva Friday night. Sandy Bressner/Kane County Chronicle
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