Geneva holds off St. Charles North's late charge
The third try proved to be the charm for Geneva and St. Charles North's girls basketball teams.
Originally scheduled to play Dec. 7th, that game was postponed because of Geneva's teacher strike.
The makeup for that came Tuesday, but that game was again postponed, this time due to ice and bad weather.
The two teams finally squared off Thursday night in St. Charles. The Vikings led from start to finish in a 52-43 win, snapping a 2-game losing streak.
The North Stars made it interesting in the fourth quarter, getting as close as 45-43 with 2:40 remaining on a 3-pointer by freshman Emma Ludwig.
They didn't score again, and Lindsay Blackmore, who scored all 15 of her team-high points in the second half, came up with a scoop shot down low and a corner 3-pointer to give the Vikings breathing room.
“That was huge for her to get going in the second half,” Geneva junior guard Grace Hinchman said. “We knew we had to stay calm and play fast and move the ball.”
Geneva (15-8, 7-1) remained a game ahead in the DuKane Conference race while St. Charles North (12-10, 3-5) will get another chance at the Vikings Monday night in Geneva in a quick turnaround due to the postponements.
Kate Palmer (12 points, 5 rebounds) and Hinchman (10 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals) joined Blackmore in double figures while Cassidy Navigato chipped in 8 points and Emma Davine came off the bench for 4 points and solid defense late in the game on red-hot Annie Tate.
“They always play us hard,” Geneva coach Sarah Meadows said. “I said at the end of the game she's (Hinchman) the one who kept us in that game.”
The Vikings started fast, racing to an 11-1 lead with points from every starter except Blackmore, their leading scorer. Navigato provided a 3-pointer in the run and also played the passing lanes perfectly with a steal she took the other way for a layup.
Geneva's biggest lead came at 16-4 on Palmer's 3. Blackmore was whistled for her second foul with 6:04 left in the first half, and without the 6-foot junior controlling the paint, Tate scored 7 straight points.
Makenna Collins knocked down a jumper to pull St. Charles North within 17-13 before the Vikings closed the first half on a 6-2 run to lead 23-15 at halftime. Palmer scored four of those points and Davine the other two.
“It's frustating because as a young team sometimes you wait a bit to get in the flow of the game,” North Stars coach Mike Tomczak said. “And we got there but against great teams you don't have the luxury of having five minutes to get up to speed.”
The North Stars made several runs at Geneva in the second half. A steal from Ludwig and her assist to Collins got the North Stars within 27-22, and Tate heated up again with the next six points for her team to stay within 38-30 going to the fourth.
After another 6 straight points for Tate early in the fourth, Collins came up with a steal and no-look pass in transition to Talia Pellegrini for a layup to make it 43-38. Caroline Jakaitis drove for a basket.
After Hinchman's putback gave Geneva a 45-40 lead, Ludwig swished a 3 to bring the North Stars within 2. Blackmore responded with her pair of clutch baskets while the North Stars misfired on five 3-point attempts to end the game.
Tate led both teams with 21 points while grabbing 7 rebounds. Pellegrini added 7 points and Jakaitis had 8 rebounds.
“She (Tate) was trremendous tonight,” Tomczak said. “We wouldn't be in this game if she didn't play like she did.
“It was a competivie night tonight. The girls played real hard. But if you look at our record we've had a lot of these, just good enough to be there. We have to get over that hump.”