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Geneva blows out Batavia

During a season that has produced a scrapbook full of memorable moments, Geneva's basketball team added a few more Friday night against Batavia.

Prior to the game, seniors Jack McDonald and Mitch Mascari were both honored for joining the school's illustrious 1,000-point club earlier in the season.

Then the Vikings (24-1, 10-1) started off on a 14-0 run in the first 6 and a half minutes, grabbed a 34-13 halftime advantage and eventually cruised to a 54-21 DuKane Conference victory over their rivals before a jubilant hometown crowd.

"It was fun," said Vikings coach Scott Hennig. "We got off to a great start and hit some shots and I thought that defensively we were outstanding. They (the Bulldogs) missed shots but I felt every shot they took - even around the rim - was contested."

It took just 8 seconds for the Vikings to get on the board as Mascari found junior forward Josh Preston (9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) for a layup.

From there, the Vikings added 6 more layups, including steals and easy baskets from McDonald and Mascari while extending their lead to 14-0.

After 8 minutes, Geneva led 16-2.

"We came out of the gates scoring, pushing the pace and playing great defense," said Mascari, who led all scorers with 13 points on perfect 5 of 5 shooting from the floor. "If you're the other team, it's hard to push back from that."

Batavia narrowed the gap to 16-8 in the first couple minutes of the second quarter on a pair of baskets from Devin Cheaney (6 points, 3 rebounds) before Geneva closed the period on an 18-5 tear to take a 34-13 halftime advantage.

The Vikings converted 10 layups, another basket at the rim and a 2-handed dunk from Kross Garth (6 points) while shooting 65 percent (16 for 25) from the field during a near-flawless first half.

"Ben Johlie was a huge spark for us (off the bench) in the first half with 8 points," McDonald said of his senior teammate.

"It has been like that all year," said Hennig. "We're playing team basketball. We're sharing the ball and making the extra pass."

Things snowballed from there, as the Vikings began the third quarter on a 9-0 run that included 4 points from McDonald (11 points, 6 assists, 3 steals) and Preston's 3-pointer from the top of the key.

McDonald's driving layup with 21 seconds left in the third quarter extended the margin to 51-20, setting the stage for a running clock throughout the fourth quarter.

"We were really prepared tonight and we stuck it to them from the opening tip," said McDonald.

"I was really proud of our guys, especially these seniors," added Hennig. "This might be their last game against Batavia."

The pregame ceremony caught both Geneva standouts by surprise.

"(Coach) Hennig surprised us tonight," said McDonald. "I've got all my family here - it was a cool night."

"My dad just told me he had known about it since last Sunday but I had no idea," added Mascari. "It's really special."

For the game, Batavia shot 26 percent (9 of 34).

"We're a work in progress - that's the attitude we're going to take," said Bulldogs coach Jim Nazos. "We've got a quick turnaround on Tuesday against St. Charles East. That's what you look at next."

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