Batavia finds a way to hold off Geneva

Good basketball teams find ways to win when their usual leading scorers experience tough nights.

Batavia's boys received a huge lift from senior Kyle LeFevre Friday night, as the 6-foot-5 guard came off the bench to pour in a game-high 25 points during the Bulldogs' 49-46 Upstate Eight Conference River Division triumph over visiting rival Geneva (6-3, 1-2).

LeFevre, who made 10 of 12 shots from the field, scored 10 consecutive points during the Bulldogs' 13-0 third-quarter run that turned a 28-27 deficit into a 40-28 lead.

"I scored the first basket and then coach (Jim Nazos) ran three or four plays for me and gave me a chance to keep scoring," said LeFevre, who scored 10 of the team's 18 third-quarter points.

LeFevre converted a pair of 3-point plays on drives to the hoop and added a couple baskets inside on up-and-under moves during the 13-0 surge that was capped by Blake Carlson's 3-pointer with 2:12 left in the third quarter.

"I would say I'm a shooter first but it's always nice to be able to do two things in the offense," said LeFevre. "Whenever they think you have a good shot from the perimeter, they're going to come up a little (to defend you) and then you have an advantage to drive."

Extending their winning streak to 4, the Bulldogs (7-1, 3-0) needed every bit of LeFevre's offensive heroics considering their starting lineup combined for 24 points.

"It's the sign of a good team when you have different people on different nights do different things," said Nazos.

Eric Peterson and Blake Carlson added 8 points apiece for the Bulldogs while Riley Cooper had 5 points. Plagued by foul trouble, sophomore Jayden Johnson scored 3 points.

"We put so much energy into (defending) Peterson and Johnson - they've got so many tools," said Geneva coach Scott Hennig. "We knew LeFevre was a shooter and he hurt us on drives to the rim. We tried three of four guys on him.

"We'll look at the film and make an adjustment for next time. I'll take the blame for that. The kids gave me their heart and that's what matters."

Trailing 42-32 early in the fourth quarter, the Vikings staged a furious late rally.

Fueled by juniors Kross Garth (13 points) and Jack McDonald (9 points, 7 assists, 4 steals), Geneva pulled within 2 at 46-44 on Garth's layup off a picture-perfect pass from McDonald with 1:59 remaining.

Following a Batavia turnover, the Vikings had an opportunity to take the lead when junior guard Mitch Mascari misfired on a 3-point attempt with 1:15 left.

"Mascari's three actually was pretty close," said Hennig. "We had our opportunities."

LeFevre's driving layup with 18 seconds left upped Batavia's lead to 48-44.

"They were coming with a double team," said LeFevre. "I couldn't go back to the top so I had to go to the baseline."

McDonald's desperation 3-point tying attempt from midcourt hit the back rim as time expired. Sophomore Nate Santos led Geneva with 14 points.

"They're a good team," said Hennig. "The positive is that we get to play them again in January."