Geneva pulls away from Larkin, now 23-0
On a night Geneva celebrated its 2017 Hall of Fame class, several of the current Vikings played like they want to join that exclusive club someday.
Geneva continued its dream season, but not before Larkin put up quite a fight. The Royals led most of the first half, the teams battled through 18 ties or lead changes, and it was a 2-point game in the fourth quarter before the Vikings pulled away for an 80-68 win.
The victory keeps No. 2 Geneva (23-0, 8-0 in the Upstate Eight River) undefeated, a development that has caught even the players by surprise.
"We just keep adding on," sophomore point guard Jack McDonald said. "I don't think anyone ever thought this but I'm not complaining. They were hitting shots, they played a great game, but we came right back at them. We just played really well out there."
McDonald was one of those stars with 21 points and 4 assists, including a spectacular behind-the-back pass through traffic that hit Cole Navigato in stride for a 2-hand slam.
Navigato dominated inside with 23 points and 12 rebounds. His brother Dom Navigato also double-doubled with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Matthew Johnston's all-around gem included 15 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and a breakaway dunk that drew perhaps the biggest roar on a night the crowd was electric for four quarters.
"We told the guys, we've been in a couple sectionals, that was a sectional-like atmosphere," Larkin coach Deryn Carter said. "That's a rare atmosphere in January. They are obviously on a hot streak. We wanted to be the ones to break it and they want to keep it going. It was a fight and they came out on top. They are a tough team."
Larkin (12-11, 3-5) caught a bad break before the game even started. Referees ruled 6-foot-10 Jalen Shaw dunked in pregame warmups, though Shaw told Carter he dropped the ball in without grabbing the rim.
That resulted in a technical foul, and Cole Navigato made both free throws. More importantly, it counted as Shaw's first personal foul. He picked up his second two minutes into the game and spent much of the night on the bench, finishing with 9 points and 4 rebounds.
His teammates picked him up. Kashmir Ivy hit three straight 3-pointers in the second quarter. Larkin led 25-19 at one point before a late Geneva push sent the Vikings into halftime up 35-33.
Johnston scored 8 points in the third quarter to help the Vikings extend to a 58-52 lead. Shaw scored twice inside early in the fourth, the later bringing the Royals within 60-58.
Dom Navigato rattled in a 3-pointer from the top of the key, then Cole Navigato's conventional 3-point play drew the fourth foul on Shaw while giving Geneva a 66-58 cushion with 4:27 left.
Larkin never got closer over the final four minutes.
"Cole is a load," Geneva coach Phil Ralston said. "He doesn't look like much but the kid can play every spot on the floor. When you have a kid who can score from any spot on the court, that's a dangerous person to have in your lineup."
Anthony Lynch led Larkin with 20 points, and Ivy scored 16. The Royals forced 17 turnovers, they outscored Geneva from the free-throw line 19-15, but Geneva's plus-13 rebounding edge and 55.7 percent shooting (29 of 52) were the difference.
"Against them when you are down it's trouble," Carter said. "We started scrambling a little more, and they made some big shots."