Geneva rallies from 15 down, stuns Glenbard West
You have to dig deep if you're down big to win at anything.
The Geneva girls basketball team did just that Thursday night in a Class 4A regional final against Glenbard West.
The Vikings gave up a 13-0 run to start the game and found themselves down by deficits of 24-11 and 29-14 in the second quarter.
But their propensity for the 3-pointer, a stifling second-half 2-3 zone defense, and the ability to knock down free throws late changed everything.
That allowed Geneva to survive and advance by virtue of a 55-50 victory, equaling a 51-50 win over the Hilltoppers on Jan. 15. It's the 11th straight regional crown for the two-time defending state champions who will play either Bartlett or Wheaton North on Monday night in the Class 4A Batavia sectional.
"How about that one?" said a jubilant Geneva coach Sarah Meadows as her team lined up to cut down the net. "We didn't shoot well in the first half, for sure. But our defense, we came out in the 2-3 in the second half, and I think that was the difference.
"The kids, we talked to them at halftime, there's a reason you play four quarters of basketball. The game's not over after two, and if you act like it, you're not going to play. It's that simple."
Things looked bleak early. Glenbard West jumped out to a 13-0 lead behind 6 points from junior forward Taylor Huff, and with 1:59 left in the second quarter, the Hilltoppers were up 29-14 and were decidedly in control.
But a 3-pointer by Geneva junior guard Katie Montgomery and a layup in the lane by junior guard Grace Hinchman before halftime was a harbinger of things to come.
After the break, the Vikings slipped into its 2-3 zone that limited the Hilltoppers to just 11 shot attempts and 5 points - a jumper from the free throw line by Huff at 6:50 and a 3 by sophomore Maggie Stutelberg.
In between, Geneva (20-11) crafted a 15-0 run, highlighted by a pair of 3s by Montgomery and another by sophomore Kate Palmer.
They then added a 9-0 run midway through the fourth quarter, including a three-point play the hard way - three free throws - by senior guard Cassidy Navigato, a steal and layup by Hinchman, and another layup by Navigato, and the Vikings were up 43-39.
They would never trail again, though Glenbard West senior guard Katelyn Heller pulled her team to within 53-50 with a jumper in the lane with 17 seconds to go. Immediately, the Hilltoppers went into a press, but they fouled Navigato, who set the final score.
In all, Navigato went 11-for-13 from the line in the fourth quarter.
"I knew that needed to make them," Navigato said. "If I didn't make those free throws, who knows how the game would have gone. I had to drown out everyone and play my game."
It was a devastating end of the season for Glenbard West (22-7). Heller, who recently committed to Illinois Wesleyan, led the Hilltoppers with 15 points, 6 in the crucial fourth quarter. Huff was solid with 11 points and 7 boards, and sophomore Maggie Stutelberg checked in with 9 points and 7 rebounds.
But it wasn't quite enough.
What's Heller going to miss about high school basketball?
"Just probably the teammates and especially the coaches," she said. "Coach (Kristi) Faulkner has really just impacted my life and my basketball skill, and just everything. I think she is one of the people I'm going to miss the most, and just how close we were as a team."