McDonald takes blow, returns to spark Geneva
Nobody can question the ability level of Geneva's Jack McDonald.
The senior point guard's all-around play is one of the reasons why the Vikings carried a 20-1 record into Tuesday's DuKane Conference matchup against St. Charles North.
Following the Vikings' 54-42 homecourt victory, few would question McDonald's toughness, either.
Sidelined for a good portion of the third quarter with a gash near his right cheekbone while his team clung to a 36-34 lead, McDonald scored 7 points, dished out back-to-back assists and added a rebound during the Vikings' 18-8 fourth-quarter knockout punch that sealed the decision.
"I missed that floater and I went to get the rebound and I think I caught an elbow," said McDonald, who finished with 17 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds. "It hurt at first and then all of a sudden I saw the blood going everywhere."
While Geneva's game staff spent the next 5 minutes wiping the blood off the floor, McDonald headed to the training room with his team trailing 32-30 with 3:51 left in the third quarter.
St. Charles North (8-12, 3-6) stretched its lead to 34-30 on Tyler Czerniak's short jumper before the Vikings (21-1, 8-1) scored the final 6 points of the period, highlighted by Josh Preston's 3-pointer that put the home team in front, 35-34.
The North Stars tied the game at 36-36 early in the fourth quarter and trailed 40-39 following a 3-pointer by Colin Nelson (9 points) with 5:55 remaining.
From there, Geneva took over, going on a 9-0 run that included a pair of inside baskets from Preston (7 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocked shots), a layup by Mitch Mascari (game-high 20 points, 3 steals, 3 assists) and McDonald's nifty spin move for a 3-point play.
"We're a good second-half team," said McDonald. "If it's close going into the third quarter, we seem to pull ahead so it was just us. We got a lot of defensive stops which helped lead to offense."
Geneva connected on 7 of its 8 field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter.
"A lot of our shots were right around the hoop," said McDonald. "That definitely helps the percentage and it helps you close out the game."
Kross Garth (9 rebounds) and Garret Sneed added 4 points apiece for the Vikings.
"I was real proud of our defense," said Geneva coach Scott Hennig. "I think we made them (the North Stars) take tough shots. Outside of a few games, our defense has been pretty good all year and we were able to finish off the turnovers."
Junior 6-9 center Connor Linke paced the North Stars with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
"Just too many mistakes," North Stars coach Tom Poulin said of his team's 18 turnovers. "The things that win games in the fourth quarter - they did and we didn't do. We struggled with some of the basics in the fourth quarter."
For his efforts, McDonald earned a postgame trip to the hospital.
"I'm going to need some stitches," he said. "The same thing happened sophomore year against (St. Charles) East. I had to get like 17 stitches over my eye. Those St. Charles teams - they're coming for me."
"Jack is such a fighter," said Hennig.