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Great chemistry has been key for undefeated Geneva

Finishing the regular season undefeated would be a nice accomplishment for the 26-0 Geneva boys basketball team, but the Vikings aren't hung up on winning their last three games.

"It'd be awesome to go undefeated but I think if we have one or two losses, it isn't going to reflect our season," senior guard Matt Johnston said last Friday after the Vikings won their second Upstate Eight River title in three seasons. "If we get it, great. Otherwise, big whoop."

Geneva plays with an undeniable chemistry. Sophomore point guard Jack McDonald and 6-foot-3 sophomore shooting guard Mitch Mascari blend seamlessly with seniors Johnston and Cole and Dom Navigato.

McDonald possesses rare court vision. He averages 6 assists per game, tops among Class 4A players in the Fox Valley area. He feeds the ball in near equal measure to Cole Navigato (13.9 ppg), Dom Navigato (11.8 ppg), Johnston (10 ppg) and Mascari (8 ppg) while averaging 10.4 points per game himself.

The Vikings patiently execute their offense until they get a good shot, often a 3-pointer. That's bad news for opponents since Geneva's 3-point shooters are highly accurate. Mascari shoots 47.1 percent (48 of 102), McDonald 43.1 percent (25 of 58), Johnston 39.1 percent (25 of 64), Dom Navigato 37.8 percent (42 of 111).

"I think our whole team plays really well together. That's the specialness of the bond of this group," said Geneva ninth-year coach Phil Ralston, who has 299 career victories. "We've got some really great senior leaders and we've got some really good young players and they've all been able to come together and blend. The outcome is you're seeing a team that is certainly better than the sum of its parts."

Beyond chemistry and talent, Geneva remains undefeated, in part, due to a nonconference schedule that hasn't been overly challenging. The Vikings dominated relatively weak fields in each of the three tournaments they've won. At the Crystal Lake Central Thanksgiving tournament they defeated four teams that now own a combined record of 47-51, winning by an average of 21 points. They handled four opponents at the DeKalb Holiday Tournament with a combined 44-55 record by an average of 25 points. Against five opponents at the Mundelein MLK Tournament with a combined record of 64-69, they won by a 32-point average.

On the other hand, Geneva faces, arguably, its toughest challenge of the season this weekend with back-to-back road games separated by a long bus ride. On Friday the Vikings visit St. Charles North (16-7), a team they defeated 67-62 in double overtime on Jan. 6.

On Saturday morning they depart for a nonconference game at Quincy, known statewide as one of the toughest venues in which to play. The Blue Devils (18-4) have won 27 straight home games, according to Matt Schuckman of the Quincy Herald-Whig.

"They're both really solid teams," McDonald said last Friday. "North took us to double OT, so we know they are a good team. We just have to get ready for them."

And if the Vikings were to suffer their first loss?

"Honestly, it's just a record," McDonald said. "It doesn't mean much. We've got bigger goals to work toward."

Geneva will compete in the Hinsdale Central sectional. Coaches voted the Vikings the No. 2 seed Thursday behind DuPage Valley Conference champion Wheaton Warrenville South (26-1).

"One of our main goals is VWR: Vikings Win Regional," Dom Navigato said. "That's our main goal right now."

He'll be back: Jacobs senior Cam Krutwig rolled his ankle in Tuesday's 53-32 victory at Cary-Grove but it's not too serious, coach Jimmy Roberts said Thursday.

"He's all good," Roberts said of the 6-foot-9 Loyola recruit, who averages 15.5 points, 13.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

Krutwig did not return from the third-quarter injury but he could have, Jacobs' fourth-year coach said. He wasn't needed. The Golden Eagles immediately went on a 10-0 run and outscored the Trojans 22-5 thereafter.

Jacobs (23-1, 12-1) visits Prairie Ridge (18-6, 12-1) Friday at 7 p.m. for a Fox Valley Conference showdown between first-place teams. The Wolves won the first meeting 50-41 on Jan 14.

Time flies: As Bartlett High School approaches the 20th anniversary of its 1997 opening next fall, the athletic program intends to recognize the greatest of the school's first generation of athletes.

The process begins Friday at halftime of the Bartlett-South Elgin boys basketball game with a ceremony to recognize Anthony Maestranzi, who led the Hawks to their first regional title in boys basketball in 2000-01. The 2002 graduate went on to start for three seasons at Northern Illinois and played six seasons professionally in Italy.

Bartlett also intends to honor 22-year-old Chicago Blackhawks center Vinnie Hinostroza at a date to be determined. Hinostroza attended Bartlett and played football and lacrosse. He later graduated from Waterloo West High School in Iowa while playing junior hockey for the Waterloo Blackhawks of the United States Hockey League.

Hinostroza played collegiately at Notre Dame and was a 6th-round pick by Chicago in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He was among four players assigned to Rockford on Sunday as the Blackhawks entered their bye week.

Maestranzi was a 5-foot-10 point guard whose tremendous work ethic allowed him to succeed at a high level. He graduated as the program's leading scorer with 1,140 points in two and a half varsity seasons, though he has since been passed by three players. He still holds school records for career assists (314), points in a season (601) and 3-pointers in a season (109) and career (184).

Maestranzi's dream was to play Division-I basketball, but he didn't receive any offers due to his size. Then-NIU coach Rob Judson eventually saw Maestranzi play against DeKalb High only because Judson's daughter was a DeKalb cheerleader at the time, a twist Maestranzi recounted Thursday. After the Bartlett star shot 7-of-10 from 3-point range in that game, Judson offered him a preferred walk-on spot, which later became a full scholarship when another NIU player transferred.

Maestranzi made the most of the opportunity. He started for the Huskies for three seasons, scored 757 points and never missed a game in four years.

He later played in Italy's Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) for four teams over six seasons, most recently for Pallacanestro Virtus Roma.

Because he holds dual citizenship, Maestranzi was invited to play for the Italian national team in a FIBA European qualifier and the European championships alongside NBA players Andrea Bargnani, Marco Belinelli and Danilo Gallinari.

On Friday, Maestranzi will donate one of his professional jerseys to Bartlett, which will be displayed permanently in the cafeteria adjacent to the gymnasium.

"It' really cool, really neat," Maestranzi said. "It's a big honor. Now that it's old enough the school is trying to build some history. It's neat, especially for me after being out of the country for six years. I lost touch with my high school and my college, a lot of my friends, even family. You're six hours ahead in another country and you're in a routine. That feels like another life now. After being back for a couple of years, it's good to be back with my alma mater. The fact that Bartlett is doing this is, I feel really humbled."

Maestranzi now works with the Kessel Heat AAU organization. This spring he will coach its 16-U team on the national circuit.

"My passion and desire is to help kids of all sizes who have a dream just like I did," he said. "I'm an example that if they are willing to put in the hours in the gym, they can achieve their goals."

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